Forgotten Island Review: DreamWorks Nails the Mythology, Fumbles the Story

Forgotten Island marks DreamWorks Animation’s first fully animated feature in over 13 months, since The Bad Guys 2 last August. What interests me the most isn’t just the story exploring Filipino mythology, but also the involvement of Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, who last co-directed the Oscar-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Like their previous movie, they continue to embrace a stylized 2D-and-3D animation hybrid that evokes the look and feel of a comic book panel springing to life, with bursts of shōnen anime inspired by Dragon Ball Z and One Piece.

A Vibrant, Anime-Inspired Animation Style

The animation is vibrant and colorful right from the start, the kind of sensory cinematic experience that’s stunning to look at, regardless of the character designs or the background. The movie gets off to a promising start, highlighting the first 10 minutes that are best described as bittersweet, complete with pop-culture references from the iconic arm-wrestling handshake in 1987’s Predator to Journey’s epic 1981 rock anthem “Don’t Stop Believin’”. We see how Jo (voiced by Kailey Crawford) and Raissa (Kayla Teruel) first met while sitting outside the principal’s office. They instantly became best friends, even putting on matching bracelets.

Jo and Raissa’s Friendship Is the Heart of Forgotten Island

Unlike the more introverted Raissa, Jo is particularly hyperactive and obsessed with Nakali, the mythical realm where her beloved grandmother Lola (Dolly de Leon) used to feed her bedtime stories. Jo and Raissa’s contrasting dynamic is what drives their on-screen chemistry, and it helps that the cast does a great job with Crawford and Teruel’s lived-in performances voicing the younger versions.

Things inevitably change as they grow up, especially for Raissa (now voiced by Liza Soberano), who will leave the Philippines to pursue her studies at Caltech. Jo (singer-songwriter H.E.R.), however, remains the same mischievous self and is now working at a fast-food restaurant. They spend their last day together, and at one point, Raissa doesn’t hesitate to speak out about Jo being stuck in the same loop about Nakali and the fact that they are no longer kids.

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A Portal to Nakali Changes Everything

Truth hurts, and so does growing up to move on to the next chapter. Jo isn’t ready to face changes, and she somehow gets her wish when a portal opens, forcing Raissa to leap together into the titular realm. The next thing they wake up on an island, they realize it has been 12 hours, and none of them can remember what happened throughout that period. Cue the family-friendly version of The Hangover-like situation, as the two have no idea how they got new tattoos or how Raissa now has her hair shaved in half. And it gets bizarre from here, as Raissa finds her shoulders attached to a pair of wings while Jo wears a crown.

Nakali’s Mythical Creatures Are the Best Part

Crawford and Mercado even mirror Jo and Raissa’s perplexing scenario with a pace that grows increasingly manic, introducing several mythical creatures along the way, such as the Crash Bandicoot-like were-dog Raww (a gleefully over-the-top Dave Franco), chubby-looking blue demon baby Bungi (Manny Jacinto), and King Truffle Wuffle (Ronny Chieng). The latter’s duwende-like tiny figure resents anyone who calls him “cute”, but his unmistakably adorable appearance becomes a comic relief that Jo can’t help but want to hug him.

Where Forgotten Island Loses Control of Its Own Story

While I appreciate the energetic vibe from the second act onward, Crawford and Mercado’s maximalist style get overwhelming after a while, resulting in an overly chaotic direction for their own good. The story crams itself with too many side characters, where some of them end up either relegated to background roles or underdeveloped, notably the fearsome vampire-like Manang (Lea Salonga).

And as much as I admire a major Hollywood production emphasizing cultural representation of Filipino folklore, the otherwise potentially interesting world-building structure within the lore-heavy island setting feels underwhelming. It would do us a better favor with proper storytelling nuance to make way for those who aren’t familiar with the mythology rather than prioritizing one frenetic comedic set piece after another.

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