Forgotten Island Review: Emotionally and Aesthetically Dynamic

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures.

This review contains spoilers.

DreamWorks has done it again! After previously delivering the smash hit sequel to Puss in Boots in 2022, Joel Crawford returns to co-direct Forgotten Island with Januel Mercado to present a stimulating and diverse original movie based on Filipino folklore with our eccentric main leads at the center of it all, the rebellious Josephine Cleopatra Yuson and the shy Raissa Molina (voiced by Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson and Liza Soberano).

The story begins in the Philippines in the 1990’s, where Jo and Raissa first meet after they’re both sent out of their classes, waiting for the principal’s office. From there, it blossoms into a life-long friendship that persists long after Jo’s grandmother (Dolly de Leon) has passed away, linked by their wishes to discover the island of Nakali. The troubles begin after graduation when Raissa and her parents plan to move to America so that Raissa can enroll at Caltech, partly due to her mother not approving of her relationship with Jo. At the beach on their last night together, they find a ‘sand-dollar’, a portal to the fabled island of Nakali. Jo and a somewhat reluctant Raissa enter the portal, and arrive the next morning on the island with no recollection of what happened the night before. Seeking to recover their memories, the duo, guided by Raww (Dave Franco, best described as a Were-Aspin) set out into the island, meeting up with wonderfully weird creatures drawn from Filipino folklore, avoiding the horrific Manang (a Manananggal) and reconnecting their friendship before it’s too late.

Other characters playing a key role in the film include Bungi (Manny Jacinto, as a baby-demon), Mermahn (Kevin McCann, the Jewel of the Sea) and Batiba (Jenny Slate, as the Batibat memory demon), all depicted as true to Filipino legend as possible while also appealing to the audience as actual characters, with their flaws, struggles and a little bit of cunning without being overly cynical.

The movie’s main animation style is incredibly slick, stylized, colourful and expressive while also being distinctly Filipino. Several scenes in the movie demonstrate different animation styles to present the stories of the two leads and the supporting cast, helping to make it humorous while also filling in the gaps in the story such as with Mermahn where his story of how Jo, Raissa and Raww met up with him and instantly fell in love with his handsomeness is accompanied by a Sailor Moon-esque visual delight and accentuating his personality in the film.

One sequence near the end of the movie, when Raissa is in Jo’s fading memories (when it’s being given to Batiba), in a race against time to save their memories of their friendship, is sure to make you emotional, it relates to losing all the memories they made in the film, and how it hits close to home about losing someone that you love. Let this be a reminder that friendship is never a waste, your memories you make and hold on to are forever.

Be sure to see Forgotten Island while it’s still in theatres. It is genuinely well-crafted, humorous, mature, and it speaks deeply into the human soul and what it means to have a friend.

Forgotten Island opened in cinemas on Thursday the 17th of September.