Forgotten Island is not just another animated adventure about magical portals and mythical creatures. DreamWorks Animation’s latest original film, from the team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, takes two best friends from a small town in the Philippines and drops them onto a wild, neon-soaked island packed with creatures from Filipino folklore. The result is a fast, funny, and genuinely touching story about growing up, letting go, and the memories that hold friendships together.
Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the film opens in Philippine cinemas on September 23, 2026, before hitting U.S. theaters on September 25. It has already earned a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on early critic reviews, with praise focused on its inventive animation and its warm, culturally specific heart.
A Friendship Tested by Change and a Magic Portal
The story centers on Jo (voiced by Grammy and Oscar winner H.E.R.) and Raissa (voiced by Filipino actress Liza Soberano). The two have been best friends since grade school in a 1990s Philippine island town. Jo is a dreamer who loves telling wild, bloody folk stories passed down from her grandmother, Lola (voiced by Dolly de Leon). Raissa is the serious one, a budding scientist with plans to attend Caltech and work for NASA.
When Raissa prepares to leave for the United States, Jo panics at the thought of being left behind. On their last night together, they find a magical sand dollar that opens a portal to Nakali, the mythical island from Lola’s stories. They wake up on a beach with no memory of the past 12 hours. Raissa has sprouted wings and lost half her hair. Both have strange new tattoos. A talking were-dog named Raww (voiced by Dave Franco) insists they hired him as their guide the night before.
The catch: to return home, they must give up the matching bracelets they made as kids, which hold every memory of their friendship.
Filipino Folklore Takes the Main Stage
What sets Forgotten Island apart from other portal fantasies is how deeply it draws from Filipino mythology. The island of Nakali is packed with creatures that Filipino audiences will recognize instantly, and that many global viewers will be meeting for the first time.
The most fearsome is the Manananggal, a vampire-like creature that splits its body in half and flies with bat-like wings to hunt prey. She is voiced by Lea Salonga, the Tony-winning icon known for her roles in Miss Saigon and Les Misérables, and for singing the title song in Disney’s Mulan. Salonga voices Manang, the dreaded Manananggal, and the filmmakers have said her casting was a dream come true.
Other creatures include the Batibat, a figure from Philippine folklore believed to cause nightmares by sitting on a sleeping person’s chest, and a were-aspin, a dog-human hybrid inspired by the Filipino “asong Pinoy” or native dog. The film also features a giant demon baby named Bungi (voiced by Manny Jacinto) and a memory-eating demon called Batiba (voiced by Jenny Slate).
The film’s cultural specificity extends beyond monsters. A scene showing a Filipino family gathering, complete with a videoke machine cueing up the classic love song “On the Wings of Love,” has sparked a wave of proud reactions online from Filipino viewers. One user called it “unmistakably, painfully accurate.”
A Voice Cast Packed with Filipino and Hollywood Talent
The voice cast is one of the film’s biggest strengths. H.E.R. and Liza Soberano lead as Jo and Raissa, with younger versions of the characters voiced by Kailey Crawford and Kayla Teruel. Soberano, one of the Philippines’ most popular actresses, has spoken about how meaningful it was to see Filipino food and family traditions animated on a Hollywood scale.
The supporting cast includes Dave Franco as Raww, the hapless but lovable were-dog who steals many scenes. Jenny Slate voices Batiba, a catlike creature who trades in memories. Manny Jacinto plays Bungi, a giant demon baby prone to emotional outbursts. Jo Koy voices Datu, and Ronny Chieng rounds out the ensemble. Dolly de Leon, the BAFTA-nominated Filipino actress from Triangle of Sadness, voices Lola, the grandmother whose stories spark the entire adventure.
Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado drew from personal experience. Crawford’s wife is Filipina, and Mercado’s sister is named Jo. The filmmakers have said the characters were partly inspired by the real friendship between Crawford’s wife and her best friend.
Animation That Blends Anime, Ghibli, and Pure Chaos
Critics have praised the film’s visual style for its wild energy. The Hollywood Reporter called the animation “dazzling and tremendously fast-paced,” noting influences ranging from anime to Studio Ghibli to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film uses a mix of 2D and 3D styles, with anime-inspired flourishes that give it a look distinct from typical DreamWorks releases.
The pacing is relentless. The AP called it “the richest, busiest and trippiest animated movie of the year.” Variety noted that while the film shares a magic-portal premise with several other 2026 releases, it stands apart because of its creative and cultural elements. Slant Magazine described it as “an isekai-anime-flavored remake of The Hangover,” which is a fair summary of its structure: the heroes wake up with no memory of the night before and must piece together what happened.
Not every critic loved the nonstop energy. The Guardian wrote that the film is “over-controlled and over-determined,” rarely taking a moment to let its characters breathe. But even mixed reviews tend to acknowledge the film’s ambition and its genuine emotional core.
Release Dates and Where to Watch
Forgotten Island opens in Philippine cinemas on September 23, 2026. U.S. theaters get the film on September 25, with preview screenings on September 24. It runs 1 hour and 49 minutes and is rated PG for “animated sequences of scary action, language.” Australian theaters began screening the film on September 17.
The film’s world premiere took place at the new Lucas Museum for Narrative Art in South Los Angeles on September 23, making it the first film ever to premiere at the venue. The museum opened to the public one day earlier.
For viewers in the UK, Canada, Australia, and India, release dates may vary by region. Universal Pictures is distributing the film worldwide, and fans should check local cinema listings for exact showtimes.
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Rotten Tomatoes Score and Early Reactions
Forgotten Island currently holds a 100% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 28 critic reviews at the time of writing. The score is subject to change as more reviews are added, but the early response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Director Joel Crawford celebrated the score on social media, and fans responded with messages of support. One fan wrote, “Congratulations to the entire team… you guys are all awesome.” Filipino viewers have been especially vocal online, sharing how much it means to see their culture represented with such care and humor on a global stage.
The film’s handling of Filipino family gatherings, food, and mythology has struck a chord. A Tumblr user wrote that the movie captured “filo family gatherings so accurately. this is just like my family.” Another wrote, “as a filipino i’m already excited to very wokely talk about the political undertones of the movie.”
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