Film: Forgotten Island
Directors: Januel Mercado & Joel Crawford
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Released: September 25, 2026 (USA)
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 49m
Genre: Animated Fantasy Adventure / Comedy
AnimationFantasyAdventureComedyFriendshipFilipino MythologyFamilyDreamWorksOriginal Story
95%Rotten Tomatoes
96%Fandango
7.8IMDb
ACinemaScore
3.9Letterboxd
🏝️ Know this first: if you want to see it on a big screen, don’t wait. Forgotten Island is one of the best-reviewed films of the year — and one of DreamWorks’ weakest openings ever. Original animated films that struggle at the box office tend not to stay in theatres long.
⚖️ One of the Year’s Best-Reviewed Films. Hardly Anyone Is Seeing It.
On paper, Forgotten Island should be a hit. It’s from the directors of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, debuted at a perfect 100%, and earned an “A” CinemaScore from audiences. Some critics are calling it one of DreamWorks’ very best.
And yet it opened to just $12.8 million in the US, finishing fifth — reportedly one of DreamWorks Animation’s worst domestic openings, against a reported $80 million budget.
So what happened? Fans have offered two convincing explanations. First, original stories are a harder sell: as one viewer put it, every kid already knows what a dragon or a panda is, but a fantasy world drawn from Filipino mythology doesn’t come with that instant recognition. Second, the trailer undersold it — opening on its lead characters as a college student and a fast-food worker, rather than the childhood friendship and magical adventure that make up most of the film.
The film itself deserves better. And it’s worth noting where it is connecting: it’s broken records in the Philippines.
What would you give up to get home?
Forgotten Island is the new original film from DreamWorks Animation, written and directed by Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford, the team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Best friends Jo and Raissa stumble through a mysterious portal onto Nakali, a fantastical island full of magical creatures — and discover that the price of getting home is every memory of their friendship.
Our verdict: a gorgeous, heartfelt and genuinely original animated adventure — breathless to a fault, but one of the most distinctive family films in years.
A Landmark for Filipino Representation
🇵🇭 A Fantasy World Drawn From Filipino Mythology
Forgotten Island is significant beyond its quality: it’s likely the first major Hollywood studio animated film centred on Filipino culture. Its fantasy world is inspired by Filipino mythology, and its cast is led by Filipino and Filipino-American talent.
That includes Lea Salonga — a legend of musical theatre — voicing the Dreaded Manananggal, a fearsome creature from Philippine folklore. Viewers have also responded to the film’s deeper thread about the Filipino diaspora and the longing to reconnect with a culture that can feel half-forgotten — which gives its memory-loss premise an extra layer of meaning.
H.E.R.Jo
Liza SoberanoRaissa
Dave FrancoRaww
Lea SalongaThe Dreaded Manananggal
Manny Jacinto
Jenny Slate
Jo Koy
Dolly de Leon
Ronny Chieng
Animation With a Human Touch
The film looks beautiful — and the reasons go beyond its colourful design. It uses simulated lens choices you rarely see in animation, like wide-angle shots in the middle of quiet conversations, not just action scenes. The effect is a sense of closeness to the characters, as if someone were actually holding a camera in the room. However much is done in a computer, you never lose the feeling of a human artistic hand behind it.
The action is a highlight too, with clear anime and Samurai Jack influences — at times the aspect ratio itself shifts, widening and squeezing the frame to create striking, dynamic images.
A Friendship Worth Fighting For
At its heart, Forgotten Island is about the bond between Jo and Raissa — and it’s a genuinely moving one. The early scenes of them meeting and becoming friends as children are especially affecting; it’s the kind of thing that will hit hard for any parent watching their own kids come home talking about new friends.
The early stretch has a relaxed, hangout energy — fun, but light on tension. Once the danger arrives, though, it changes gear. Some of that threat is physical, with a monstrous creature on their trail. But the bigger stakes are emotional: the risk of losing a lifetime of shared memories. From there, the film becomes relentlessly, thrillingly fast.
The voice cast is strong across the board, and Dave Franco is a particular standout as Raww — a performance with so much energy you can practically hear him giving it everything in the booth.
Is It Right for Your Kids?
👨👩👧 A Parent’s Guide
Forgotten Island is rated PG, but it skews a little older than a typical DreamWorks film. A few things to know:
• The leads grow up. The film opens with Jo and Raissa as young children, but for most of it they’re around college age — one heading to college, one working in fast food.
• There’s some edge. Early school scenes include fighting and a switchblade — enough that one critic, a parent of five-year-olds, said he was glad he hadn’t brought his kids.
• The monster may scare little ones. The Manananggal is a frightening creature from folklore.
• It’s very, very fast. The pace can feel overwhelming at times.
That said, plenty of viewers think children will love it, and argue the grown-up stretch is a short section early on. Our take: it’s a great pick for older kids, tweens and families, and for adults on their own — but think twice for preschoolers.
The Catch
⚡ It Never Slows Down
The film’s biggest weakness is its pace. Animated family films have been getting faster for years, and Forgotten Island pushes that further than most — at times it feels as though the animators and editors were running on energy drinks. It can be overwhelming, and occasionally irritating.
It’s an understandable choice in an era when studios and streamers are fighting hard for children’s attention. And crucially, the speed never comes at the expense of heart: the film still treats kids and families with respect, and never talks down to them.
It also isn’t quite The Last Wish — few animated films have a villain as memorable. But it doesn’t need to be. Forgotten Island is its own thing entirely, and there’s genuinely nothing else quite like it.
At the Box Office
$12.8MUS opening
$7.8MInternational opening
$15.9MDomestic to date
$80MReported budget
The film placed fifth on its opening weekend and had reached about $15.9 million domestically by its first Wednesday. The good news for fans: the directors say they already have ideas for a sequel — though whether it happens will likely depend on how the film performs from here.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
| The Good |
The Bad |
The Ugly |
| Gorgeous, Human AnimationBeautiful design, inventive simulated lenses, and anime-inspired action with shifting aspect ratios. It always feels hand-crafted. |
Relentlessly FastThe pace can overwhelm. It rarely lets a moment breathe once the danger kicks in. |
The Box OfficeOne of the year’s best-reviewed films, and one of DreamWorks’ weakest openings. It deserves a bigger audience. |
| A Landmark for RepresentationLikely the first major studio animated film centred on Filipino culture, with Filipino mythology and talent at its heart. |
A Slow-Burn First ActThe early stretch is fun but low on tension before the stakes arrive. |
A Trailer That Missed the PointThe marketing led with the college and fast-food scenes — a small part of the film — rather than the childhood friendship and adventure. |
| A Moving FriendshipJo and Raissa’s bond carries real emotional weight, and losing their shared memories is a powerful stake. |
Skews OlderSchool fights, a switchblade and college-age leads make it a tougher sell for very young kids. |
— |
| A Terrific Voice CastDave Franco’s energy and Lea Salonga’s Manananggal are highlights in a strong ensemble. |
— |
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The Verdict
Forgotten Island is exactly the kind of film people say they want from big animation studios: original, beautifully crafted, culturally specific and emotionally honest. It celebrates a mythology Hollywood has barely touched, it’s built around a friendship worth caring about, and it looks like the work of artists rather than a production line.
Its breakneck pace won’t suit everyone, and it isn’t quite the masterpiece The Last Wish was. But it’s bold, warm and unlike anything else in theatres — and it doesn’t talk down to anyone in the audience.
The honest read: go and see it — and soon. Original animated films live or die on their opening weeks, and this one deserves far more people than it’s found. Take the older kids, take a friend, or go on your own. Just maybe call your oldest friend afterwards.
For more reviews, check out our full reviews section.
Score Breakdown
Animation & Visual Style9.5/10
Cultural Representation9.5/10
Suitability for Young Kids6.5/10
Final Score
8.5/10
Forgotten Island — Dir. Januel Mercado & Joel Crawford
An unforgettable friendship, in a film too few people are seeing
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