The friends we make in this lifetime are almost as important - sometimes more important - as the family we have. Friends are people we get to choose and form connections with based on our interests and personality, and often times they understand us more than our blood relatives. No matter how long a friendship lasts, the impact and lessons you learn will never leave you. DreamWorks' newest animated adventure tackles friendship and the power of found family.
'Forgotten Island' follows best friends Jo (H.E.R., 2024's 'The Color Purple') and Raissa (Liza Soberano, 'Lisa Frankenstein'). The pair have been inseparable since childhood and for every memory they have shared together, they add a charm to their friendship bracelet. AS children, Jo's Grandmother Lola (Dolly de Leon, 'Triangle of Sadness') told them of the forgotten island, Nakali, and they made a pact to one day find the island together. When Raissa is about to move to the United States for college, this causes tension between the two of them, leading to a portal to Nakali opening. Once on the island, the friends don't recall how they got here, but they must team up with Raww (Dave Franco, 'Together'), a humanoid dog, Bungi (Manny Jacinto, 'Freakier Friday'), a giant baby, Batiba (Jenny Slate, 'It Ends with Us'), a keeper of memories, and Memahn (Kevin McCann, 'Dog Man'), a merman to help get back to the human world before Manang (Lea Salonga, 2023's 'Mulan'), the most feared creature on the island, captures them.
SWITCH: 'FORGOTTEN ISLAND' TRAILER
'Forgotten Island' is another stellar outing from DreamWorks. In the last couple years, the animation studio has truly been elevating both their style and stories, and 'Forgotten Island' absolutely is no expectation. The film comes from the team behind 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish', and you can see that in the animation; it's the next evolution of that style with an anime twist that was absolutely stunning to see light up the screen. The impact 'Spider-Verse' has had on the animation industry continues to positively elevate the genre into new and exciting realms. The boundaries of what you can do in animation are constantly being pushed, and 'Forgotten Island' is the next evolution of just that.
The core relationship and story between Jo and Raissa is sure to resonate universally with audiences of all ages. Their friendship and love for each other is something everyone can relate to with their own friendships; it's a love letter to those memories we share with those we choose to have in our lives. The power of memoires is the core theme here and that message of valuing memories and not forgetting them couldn't have come at a better time. We live in a time where nearly everything is about instant gratification - take photo, post photo, forget about photo - but a film like 'Forgotten Island' is a great reminder to pause and actually take in moments in our lives and to not forget those people we share special moments with.
The core relationship and story between Jo and Raissa is sure to resonate universally with audiences of all ages. Their friendship and love for each other is something everyone can relate to with their own friendships; it's a love letter to those memories we share with those we choose to have in our lives.
The film is set in the 1990s and uses the nostalgia of that era to its advantage. It never feels like a cheap call back to have 90s music for the parents in the audience, instead feeling integral to the story. Every music cue was the right song for the scene, the use of INXS' 'Never Tear Us Apart' was one of the best uses we have ever seen of that song. The film is also set in the Philippines and the Forgotten Island of Nakali is full of mythical creatures from Filipino culture. This is just another area the film soars in, perfectly integrating the culture into the story.
'Forgotten Island' is a triumph for DreamWorks. From its animation to beautiful and important story about the value of memories and power of friendship woven with Filipino culture, this film is celebration of the people who are most important to us, and truly the reminder we all need not to forget those core memories of some of our most important relationships.