Forgotten Island Movie Opens This Friday Sept 25th! 
DreamWorks Animation, the studio that brought you unforgettable bonds between a boy and a dragon in How to Train Your Dragon, an ogre and a donkey in Shrek, and a robot and a gosling in The Wild Robot, now welcomes a dazzling and emotional story about two lifelong best friends who must come together before they drift apart in Forgotten Island. The new original film is written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and is produced by Academy Award® nominee Mark Swift, the filmmaking team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Grammy and Academy Award® winning supernova H.E.R. and Liza Soberano (Lisa Frankenstein, Alone/Together) star as high school graduates Jo and Raissa, who have been best friends since grade school but are now about to embark on separate life paths. While celebrating their last night together, Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families.
Some of these figures will become friends, some foes. Joined by well-meaning-but- hapless weredog Raww (Dave Franco) and a small-but-mighty pack of pals, Jo and Raissa must face The Dreaded Manananggal (Tony winning icon Lea Salonga), the most feared creature on the island. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.
Forgotten Island takes us into the friendship of Jo and Raissa, and its set in the Philippines in the 90s. We meet these kindred spirits when they meet each other. Jo transfers into Raissa’s school and immediately makes herself known. Jo is a supremely confident youngster, expressing herself completely, and taking no prisoners. Raissa is intelligent, thoughtful, and academic. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. From their first day together, they have built a friendship, memorializing it on their friendship bracelets with trinkets evoking memories of their most meaningful moments, from joyful to sorrowful. By the time they get to the end of their high school careers (don’t worry – it takes place over a long period of time, but it does jump ahead), their bracelets have multiple bands and so many trinkets.
The main action of the movie begins with high school graduation. Riassa is going abroad for college and Jo craves one last adventure with her bestie. One theme running through Forgotten Island is the legend of Nakali, the Forgotten Island. Jo’s grandmother (who is raising her) has told them wild stories of the island, based on her time there when she was younger. The girls find their way to Nakali and havoc ensues. Through the island’s inhabitants, good and bad, Jo and Raissa work through their feelings about their impending separation and fears about their friendship. I don’t have much familiarity with Philippine culture, but I love the introduction of some of the legends in Nakali (which is not a Philippine legend), especially the duwende. The animation styles throughout Forgotten Island are almost another character in themselves. The story has a distinct animation style that is frequently invaded by other styles of animation, in the most charming and hilarious ways. One of my favorites is the speech bubble animation.
Forgotten Island is a wonderful movie. I laughed almost all the way through the movie. The only times I wasn’t laughing were when I was tearing up, because, yes, this story will pluck at your heartstrings. There wasn’t one thing I didn’t like about Forgotten Island. From the story to the music to the incredible animation, Forgotten Island is a great film for almost all ages. It’s rated PG, but the only real issues for younger children would be the jump scares, a scary character, and some more mature themes. The characters are all so well-composed that none of them feel like fodder or filler. The personalities run deep and engage the viewers fully. The themes of friendship, family, memories, and compassion carry through from beginning to end and are beautifully portrayed, though they may be a bit too deep for little ones (who will be so engaged by the animation and characters that it probably won’t even affect them). They’ll also miss out on the nostalgia for the 90s, but your older children will, too, so that’s all for the millennial+ viewers. Revel in it!
There are no stingers, but stay for the credits all the way through, if you can. The credits are very much in line with the theme of the movie and there’s a hilarious image on the final screen. It’s worth the stay anyway to check the music credits. I’ll be making a playlist!
The film’s all-star voice cast also includes Emmy nominee Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Dying for Sex), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick), BAFTA nominee Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness, Ghostlight), global comedy superstar Jo Koy (Haunted Mansion, Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn) and Emmy winner Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show, M3GAN).
Print out these fun activity sheets for the kids to enjoy the movie before and after you see it!
And as always a celeb pic, Jenny Slate!
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