Forgotten Island review

FORGOTTEN ISLAND: 

LATEST DREAMWORKS FILM WON’T BE FORGOTTEN ANYTIME SOON! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

Jo, Raww, and Raissa in Forgotten Island

 

            Two best friends enter a portal to a magical island in Forgotten Island, the latest film from DreamWorks Animation and writer-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado (The Croods: A New Age, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). Aside from the occasional Boss Baby and Trolls movie, I’ve been very impressed with DreamWorks’ releases in recent years. The Bad Guys and its sequel were entertaining nods to heist movies; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is spectacular and revitalized the Shrek franchise…only for them to get hideous redesigns in the upcoming fifth movie, and The Wild Robot is hands down one of my new favorite DreamWorks movies that cranks up the emotion almost to Pixar level. 

            This movie looked interesting when I first saw the trailer and definitely seemed like it was going to have that zany, fast-paced animation style that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made popular. Well, the same people already dabbled in this animation and art style before with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, so I had much confidence that they would once again put out a high-quality and enjoyable product…they did! 

            Forgotten Island is fantastic and stands among the best DreamWorks films; yes, this is How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2, Shrek 1 and 2, The Wild Robot, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Puss in Boots 2 good. I found this movie very engaging, with charming characters and a witty and incredibly touching story within the vibrant, stylized animation. 

            The film follows best friends from the Philippines, Jo (voiced by H.E.R.-Yes Day, The Color Purple (2023), Earth, Wind, & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World)) and Raissa (voiced by Liza Soberano-Got to Believe, Forevermore, Lisa Frankenstein,) who have grown up hearing stories about a magic island known as Nakali from Jo’s grandmother. When Raissa prepares to leave for America to attend Caltech, she and Jo hang out at the beach and discover a magic sand dollar that’s actually a portal to Nakali. 

            They enter and find themselves in the fantasy world of the forgotten island where they befriend a were-dog named Raww (voiced by Dave Franco-Neighbors 1 and 2, The Disaster Artist, Together), a giant baby demon known as Bungi (voiced by Manny Jacinto-The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick, The Acolyte), and a merman named…Mermahn (voiced by Kevin McCann) on their quest to get back home while outsmarting the most feared creature in Nakali, Manang (voiced by Lea Salonga-Aladdin, Mula, Mulan), and a tree-dwelling demon that specializes in memories known as Batiba (voiced by Jen Slate-Bob’s Burgers, Zootopia, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On). 

            The film also features the voices of Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness) as Lola Fatima Yunson, Jo Koy (Easter Sunday, Leo, The Tiger’s Apprentice) as Datu, and Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians, Wish Dragon, M3GAN) as Truffle Wuffle. 

            Overall, Forgotten Island is a gorgeously animated, funny, and emotionally powerful DreamWorks movie with a captivating story and solid cultural representation to go along with its imagination. The animation is breathtaking and captures the feel of Spider-Verse, KPop Demon Hunters,d and Puss in Boots 2 with a ton of different art styles and fast-paced editing. 

            Sometimes it’s like a computer-animated anime, other times it’s like a graphic novel or comic book, or it’s like a wacky, slapstick cartoon; you never know what the animation is going to do as you’re watching it, and I love it. While the Spider-Verse movies will always be the gold standard for this style of animation, it’s very energized, kinetic, and looks incredible on the big screen. 

            The creatures Jo and Raissa encounter on their adventure are very imaginative,e like a tribe of cute little Duwende warriors, rs but don’t let their cuteness fool you: a Batibat that collects memories, who reminded me a lot of the old witch from Spirited Away, and one of the most terrifying DreamWorks villains since Death from Puss in Boots 2. I’m serious, Manang is a genuinely scary villain, especially for an animated movie for children made in the 2020s,s with a creepy appearance, an eerie voice done by the singing voice for Princess Jasmine and Mulan, and the ability to disembowel herself (There’s no blood, but still); she was pretty unsettling at times. 

            But what really brings the movie home are its leads, Jo and Raissa, who are the emotional core of the film; everything going on revolves around their friendship, and there are some truly heavy and heartfelt scenes that I found very effective,e particularly during the climax. I bought them as best friends and was invested in both their literal and intellectual journeys; I even came close to shedding a couple of tears during some scenes, which doesn’t happen often when I’m watching a movie. 

            I think Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has a tighter narrative, but Forgotten Island is a fun and moving adventure for the entire family and my favorite “Fully” animated film of the year. It blends its wildly creative ideas with endearing characters and a sweet, emotion-heavy story at its core; this is certainly an animated feature I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. The fact that it’s a completely original idea is an added perk.