PLOT: Two best friends become stranded in the mystical world of Nakali, where their only escape might cost them their shared lifetime of memories.
REVIEW: Back in 2024, when I saw The Wild Robot at TIFF, it was obvious that DreamWorks had upped its animation game. Obviously, taking cues from Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the studio started breaking tradition, choosing to “go big or go home” regarding style, visual flourish, and emotional resonance. If The Wild Robot was the start of better things for DreamWorks, then Forgotten Island is the studio strapping on a jetpack, filling its mouth with Pop Rocks, and charting a course for the moon.
Shockingly, my theater was PACKED during my screening. Every seat was accounted for, so much so that the smallest kids were sitting on their parents’ laps to make room for other audience members. The room was a sight to behold as the majority of the crowd was Filipino, my whiteness standing out like a lighthouse in a swirling fog of excitement. It quickly dawned on me that I wasn’t just watching a movie; I was part of a cultural event, and the mood was intoxicating.
Set in the Philippines during the 1990s, Forgotten Island focuses on Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), two inseparable friends since adolescence, who travel through a portal to the island of Nakali (short for “Nakalimutan”). Populated by mysterious creatures from Philippine mythology, Nakali is known for erasing the memories of any human who visits. With Jo and Raissa’s lives so intertwined, there’s little that doesn’t involve one being there for the other. When the memory of their friendship becomes threatened, they must work together (alongside a rag-tag group of Nakalians) to escape the island before an essential part of themselves is lost forever.
The first thing I noticed about Forgotten Island is that this movie has energy to spare. I’m not kidding. It’s relentless in the ways it moves from one moment to the next, rarely stopping to take a breath, hitting you with jokes, jaw-dropping visuals, and enough deep cuts about what it’s like to be Filipino in the ’90s that it feels like a nostalgia-fueled fever dream in the best way possible. My crowd could barely contain themselves, and I loved watching their eyes light up with appreciation.
A friend of mine who saw the film several months ago told me, “It’s like an animated fantasy version of The Hangover,” and their comparison is spot on. The story finds Jo and Raissa exploring Nakali to remember their first wild night on the island. If they retrace their steps, maybe they’ll find the key to their return home. Acting as an island guide on their quest is Raww (Dave Franco), a weredog who partied with them on the night in question. As they explore the island, other Nakali denizens join their party, including a 200-year-old demon baby named Bungi Tiyanak (Jo Koy), and Prince Mermahn (Kevin McCann), an obnoxiously gorgeous merman with enthusiastic starfish on his nipples.
I don’t know how much coffee and Red Bull the cast drank while making this film, but everyone is amped throughout. The voice performances are filled with so much energy, it’s a miracle I was able to keep up. H.E.R. brings a ferocity and playfulness to Jo that must have been pure anarchy in the recording booth, while Soberano brings jubilation and mindfulness to Raissa. Dave Franco throws his whole ass into Raww, playing the character like a million puppies about to get their favorite treat. Still, there’s a surprising amount of sincerity to Franco’s performance as Raww becomes more nuanced during the adventure.
Other stand-out performances include Jenny Slate as Batiba, a dream-invading demon inspired by Ilocano folklore, and Lea Salonga as the dreaded Manananggal, a mythological being akin to the European vampire, who can detach her upper body from her lower half. Slate plays Batiba like a false friend, killing you with kindness, while Salonga brings a terrible ferocity to the film’s nightmarish villain. Straight up, the Manananggal is one of the most striking and terrifying figures in an animated film that I’ve ever seen. Every moment with her feels like the animators are flexing, letting us see how good they are at making a character a whole mood.
Forgotten Island is, without question, the best-looking CGI animated film I’ve seen since Across the Spider-Verse. It wears its anime influences loud and proud, constantly introducing new art styles throughout the journey. Each jaunt into uncharted territory kept me glued to the screen, eager for the next trick up the film’s sleeve. The array of colors you’ll see in the movie will blow your mind.
Forgotten Island isn’t just a visual marvel; it’s an emotional odyssey. The bond between Jo and Raissa is so powerful, and the way the story explores the fragility of memory could send you spiraling. This is already a killer year for animation, and I’m thrilled to say that I think Forgotten Island is another banger that fires on every cylinder. It’s a mythological road-trip movie set in a world unlike any I’ve ever seen, and the vibes are immaculate.
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