DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island is a fantasy adventure directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, the duo behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The film follows lifelong friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), whose friendship faces an uncertain future as they prepare to go their separate ways after high-school graduation. When a mysterious portal transports them to Nakali, a fantastical island inspired by Filipino folklore, they encounter mythical creatures and discover that escaping could mean losing their memories of one another. The supporting voice cast includes Dave Franco, Lea Salonga, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto and Dolly de Leon.
The premise offers plenty of potential, combining a coming-of-age story about friendship and separation with mythology rarely explored in mainstream animation. However, the storytelling feels frenetic and fast-paced, making the narrative difficult to follow at times. Important moments pass by so quickly that the emotional themes struggle to develop, preventing the central friendship from having the impact it deserves.
Visually, Forgotten Island invites comparisons with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with its exaggerated designs, fluorescent colours, rapid editing and dynamic animation. Yet where Spider-Verse uses its distinctive visual style to enhance the storytelling and bring its world to life, Forgotten Island often overwhelms the senses. The relentless cuts and glaring colours can become headache-inducing, making the experience more exhausting than immersive. Its ambition is evident, but the visual intensity frequently comes at the expense of clarity.
Despite its two female protagonists and themes of growing up and drifting apart, the film struggles to establish a clear target audience. Its humour and fantastical creatures suggest a younger audience, while its emotional themes hint at something more mature. However, there is not enough depth to consistently engage adults, while the relentless pace and sensory overload may prove equally off-putting to younger viewers. Rather than successfully appealing to everyone, Forgotten Island risks catering to no one.
The film also underperformed at the US box office, raising questions about its ability to connect with audiences. While its commercial performance alone cannot explain why it struggled, the results may reflect the difficulty of marketing a film that sits awkwardly between a family-friendly fantasy adventure and a more mature coming-of-age drama. Its blend of frenetic visuals, emotional themes and mythical creatures may have struggled to establish a clear identity, leaving Forgotten Island caught between age groups and ultimately appealing to neither as strongly as it needed to.
Ultimately, Forgotten Island is a missed opportunity. Its Filipino folklore, female-led story and ambitious animation offer the foundations for something distinctive, but its relentless pacing and uncertain sense of audience prevent those elements from coming together. With a more measured approach to storytelling and greater confidence in its intended audience, the film could have delivered a far more affecting adventure. Instead, it becomes an exhausting experience that struggles to turn its considerable visual ambition into a compelling story.