Forgotten Island - Review: Don't You Forget About Me

A movie can be inspired by anything, and a film being inspired by a friendship is one of the oldest traditions. Writer/directors Joel Crawford (“The Croods: A New Age,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) and Januel Mercado (“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) are best friends. They became best friends by working at DreamWorks together and eventually directed films for the studio together. So, it's only fitting then that they would get to make a film inspired by their own friendship for the studio where they met. And they’ve done just that, mixing in the Filipino mythology of Mercado’s upbringing and the stylized animation of their previous directorial effort, to craft an animated trip to a “Forgotten Island.”

Set in the 1990s, the film follows best friends Jo, voiced by H.E.R. (“The Color Purple (2023)”) and Raissa, voiced by Liza Soberano (“Alone/Together,” “Forevermore”), growing up together in the Philippines. After Raissa decides to go to college in the United States much to Jo’s disappointment, the pair find themselves transported to Nakali Island, a mythical island full of monsters and creatures from Filippino folklore. Stranded on the island, they enlist in the help of a werewolf Raww, voiced by Dave Franco (“Neighbors,” “Now You See Me”), to help them find a way home before the island causes them to forget their entire friendship.

Soberano and H.E.R. are perfect together, with plenty of love and chemistry oozing from each of their interactions. They’re not only believable as best friends, but their vocal performances nail the varied tones of the adventure. The tale runs the gamut from wild, outlandish comedy to fantastical but serious drama. They never falter, earning the emotions throughout. Franco is also great, turning in a surprisingly layered and charming performance as the rambunctious Raww. The supporting cast ranges from comedic standouts like Manny Jacinto (“The Acolyte,” “The Good Place”) as the demon baby Bungi and Kevin McCann (“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) as the Kataw prince Mermahn, to the more serious roles like Jenny Slate (“Zootopia,” “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)”) as Batiba the memory demon or Lea Salonga (“Yellow Rose,” “Sana Maulit Muli”) as the villainous demon Manang. All are fantastic, with Slate and Salonga standing out among a sea of excellent supporting performances.

Crawford and Mercado’s script goes for some true emotion throughout the film, and it all works wonders. Watching Jo and Raissa hang out, just existing with each other, talking out their issues and their new quest makes for a really engaging story, and their humor feels perfectly mined from a real-life friendship. Yes, it's loud, brash, and moves like a bullet through its tale. But as opposed to other animated films where the humor can feel aggressive, here it all feels like it naturally comes from the personalities of the two leads, and by extension the two writers. It won’t be for everyone, but it never feels false or inauthentic, and the tonal balances really work. For a film to go from broad silly humor to deeply serious sequences of emotional drama without breaking a sweat, it’s a true triumph.

Given how exceptionally stylish their “Puss in Boots” film was, it should come as no surprise that Crawford and Mercado have pushed those aspects even further here. Not only is the film bursting at the seams with color on every scale, but there’s hardly a moment where something stylish isn’t going on. There’s a heavy emphasis on mixing two-dimensional and three-dimensional animation, from entire sequences animated by hand to layering two-dimensional elements on top of three-dimensional characters. It’s a dizzying art style and always manages to provide something new to see in each new scene, bring the Philippines and Island to life in gorgeous ways. The musical identity of the film is also fantastically unique; Nathan Matthew David (“Chang Can Dunk,” “Deadly Class”) develops a unique sound that meshes modern Hollywood sensibilities with Filipino flare and language.

It could be easy to call “Forgotten Island” loud or brash or hyperactive or silly. But its easier to call it deeply authentic. Here is a film that feels like it was made by two friends to make each other laugh and cry, and it just so happened to reach a mainstream audience after the fact. The voice cast is fantastic, the animation is gorgeously stylish, the tonal balance is just right, and the musical identity is pitch perfect. There’s so much energy and creativity here that it feels at times like a movie Crawford and Mercado got away with making. Something for just the two of them. Something unforgettable. 5/5