# Forgotten Island
**Forgotten Island** is a 2026 American animated fantasy-adventure film produced by [DreamWorks Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/dreamworks-animation) and distributed by [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures), written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and produced by Mark Swift, the team behind *[Puss in Boots](https://www.edgepedia.org/puss-in-boots-shrek): The Last Wish*.[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island) It follows two lifelong best friends, Jo and Raissa, who are transported to the mythical island of Nakali, drawn from Filipino folklore, and must find a way home before they lose the memories of their friendship.[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Studio / distributor | DreamWorks Animation; Universal Pictures[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island) |
| Directors / writers | Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado; producer Mark Swift[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island) |
| Voice cast | H.E.R. (Jo), Liza Soberano (Raissa), Dave Franco (Raww), Jenny Slate (Batiba), Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Lea Salonga (Manananggal)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forgotten_island) |
| US theatrical release | September 25, 2026; Philippines September 23, 2026[3](https://socinety.com/movie/forgotten-island-2026/releases) |
| Home release | Digital October 27, 2026; 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD December 1, 2026[4](https://preview.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/forgotten-island-press-release) |
| Runtime / rating | Approximately 109 minutes (BBFC); rated PG by the Motion Picture Association[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/forgotten-island-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmteynzmz) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f) |
| Reception | 95% Tomatometer and 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes; "A" CinemaScore[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forgotten_island) • [4](https://preview.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/forgotten-island-press-release) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa ([Liza Soberano](https://www.edgepedia.org/liza-soberano)) have been best friends since grade school in the Philippines of the 1990s, but are about to separate: Raissa is leaving to study at Caltech in the United States.[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island) • [7](https://www.flicks.com.au/news/forgotten-island-trailer-and-release-date-australia/) While celebrating their last night together, they stumble upon a mysterious portal, a sand dollar, that transports them to Nakali, a fantastical island populated by the magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing about from their Filipino families.[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f)
On the island they are joined by Raww ([Dave Franco](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-franco)), a well-meaning but hapless weredog, and must face The Dreaded Manananggal ([Lea Salonga](https://www.edgepedia.org/lea-salonga)), the most feared creature on the island.[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island) When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price of returning home, they race to find a way off the island before they forget each other forever.[1](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island) The Associated Press review describes the film as being about forgetting as much as remembering, with the final third devoted to the two friends struggling to recapture their shared memories.[6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f)
## Filipino folklore and setting
The island of Nakali is ruled by creatures of [Philippine mythology](https://www.edgepedia.org/philippine-mythology), including the aswang, duwende, kapre, and the manananggal, a vampire-like being with a detachable upper body.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) The film's creatures include an eight-foot-tall, 200-year-old three-eyed demon baby, an obnoxious merman, and a legion of mushroom warriors.[6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f) [Characters](https://www.edgepedia.org/characters) casually use Tagalog words alongside English; the phrase "tayo na," adopted as the friends' personal motto, was checked with cultural consultant Kirby Araullo after Liza Soberano noted it sounded formal compared with the colloquial "tara na."[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/)
The story is set squarely in the 1990s Philippines, a decade co-director Januel Mercado, who is Filipino American, spent visiting family there, and the era that shaped both directors' tastes.[7](https://www.flicks.com.au/news/forgotten-island-trailer-and-release-date-australia/) • [8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) Composer Nathan Matthew David drew on indigenous Filipino traditions such as chanting and gongs for the music of Manang, and the score incorporates indigenous Filipino instruments.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f)
## Production
Crawford and Mercado, who met as story artists on DreamWorks' *Kung Fu Panda 2* and later worked together on *The Croods: A New Age* and *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish*, spent about six years crafting the film, a production involving hundreds of artists across the Philippines and the United States.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) The film marks Mercado's directorial debut; he had previously served as co-director on *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish*.[9](https://www.awn.com/news/dreamworks-animation-drops-forgotten-island-release-date) The movie was partly inspired by the directors' own friendship of nearly two decades.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/forgotten-island-trailer-directors-joel-crawford-januel-mercado-interview/)
**Animation style.** The film mixes CGI with hand-drawn 2D sequences created by Snipple Animation Studios, a [Quezon City](https://www.edgepedia.org/quezon-city)-based studio specializing in 2D animation, a craft DreamWorks had largely set aside when it pivoted to CGI in the early 2000s.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) • [11](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forgotten-island/1514) Flashbacks use different animation styles to signal that each character is an unreliable narrator: Raww's memories are modeled on *Dragon Ball Z*, while Prince Merman's fantasies draw on *Sailor Moon*.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) The overall visual style mixes anime and manga with 1990s street art, video games, and classic [Hanna-Barbera](https://www.edgepedia.org/hanna-barbera).[6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f) A research trip to El Nido in the Philippines supplied the visual basis for Nakali, rendered in high-contrast saturated neon.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/)
## Music
The official soundtrack was released digitally on September 18, 2026, a few days before the Philippine theatrical opening.[12](https://billboardphilippines.com/music/news/bini-lea-salonga-a-parallel-world/) It features lead single "BRB" by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano, a reimagined "A Parallel World" uniting the Filipino pop group BINI with Lea Salonga, and tracks by KATSEYE's Sophia Laforteza, SB19, and Ruby Ibarra; Salonga also performs "Ninakaw Sa Akin" and "Balik."[12](https://billboardphilippines.com/music/news/bini-lea-salonga-a-parallel-world/) The film itself uses licensed songs including Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart."[6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f)
## Release and box office
The film premiered at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy on July 28, 2026, and received a surprise work-in-progress screening at the Annecy Animation Film Festival that June, where the audience gave a five-minute standing ovation.[3](https://socinety.com/movie/forgotten-island-2026/releases) • [8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) It opened in Philippine cinemas on September 23, 2026, and in the United States on September 25, 2026.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) • [3](https://socinety.com/movie/forgotten-island-2026/releases) It debuted to $13 million in the United States and Canada, below the roughly $14.6 million average opening for original animated films from a major studio, and had grossed $38.5 million worldwide against an $80 million production budget as of early October 2026.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/newsletter/2026-10-06/wide-shot-forgotten-island) [Universal Pictures Home Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures-home-entertainment) released it on digital platforms on October 27, 2026, and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 1, 2026, with 60 minutes of bonus content.[4](https://preview.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/forgotten-island-press-release)
## Reception and classification
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 95% Tomatometer from 130 reviews and a 95% audience score, with a critics consensus describing it as "a candy-colored ode to friendship and Filipino folklore."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forgotten_island) It earned an "A" [CinemaScore](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinemascore), and Universal's press release cites it as Certified Fresh and "Verified Hot" on the service.[4](https://preview.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/forgotten-island-press-release)
The Motion Picture Association rated the film PG for "animated sequences of scary action, language, rude humor, thematic elements, some violence and brief tobacco imagery."[6](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f) Indonesia's Film Censorship Institution classified it for audiences aged 13 and above.[11](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forgotten-island/1514) In the United Kingdom, the BBFC classified the finished film PG after advising that moments of dangerous behavior, including use of a knife and fireworks, and moments of injury detail be removed from an earlier version that was likely to receive a 12A.[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/forgotten-island-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmteynzmz)
## Cultural significance
The film is a prominent Hollywood animated feature centered on Filipino mythology and culture, with Filipino talent throughout the production, including co-writer and co-director Januel Mercado, and Filipino American artists at DreamWorks volunteering to help the project exist.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) • [14](https://www.jollibeegroup.com/news/jollibee-marks-first-ever-global-dreamworks-animation-collaboration-with-forgotten-island/) Jollibee, the Filipino-born fast-food brand, made its first-ever global collaboration with DreamWorks Animation around the film's theatrical release, offering themed meal bundles and a Friendship Charm Bracelet keepsake.[14](https://www.jollibeegroup.com/news/jollibee-marks-first-ever-global-dreamworks-animation-collaboration-with-forgotten-island/) In France the film was released under the title *L'Île de Souvenirs*, or Island of Memories.[8](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/) The Los Angeles Times framed the film as DreamWorks' bet that an original, culturally specific story could draw audiences in a market dominated by sequels, noting that culturally accurate storytelling had recently paid dividends for other properties.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/newsletter/2026-10-06/wide-shot-forgotten-island)
## References
1. [Forgotten Island | DreamWorks Animation](https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/forgotten-island)
2. [Forgotten Island | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forgotten_island)
3. [Release dates | Forgotten Island | Socinety](https://socinety.com/movie/forgotten-island-2026/releases)
4. [Forgotten Island Press Release, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment](https://preview.universalpicturesathome.com/press-release/forgotten-island-press-release)
5. [Forgotten Island | BBFC](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/forgotten-island-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmteynzmz)
6. [Movie Review: 'Forgotten Island' is a trippy ode to friendship set against rich Filipino folklore, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/9bec293d914478bb4ef21fd8dd35116f)
7. [Forgotten Island: Australian trailer and release date, Flicks](https://www.flicks.com.au/news/forgotten-island-trailer-and-release-date-australia/)
8. [An Island Remembered: The Artists and Creatives Behind DreamWorks' Forgotten Island, Vogue Philippines](https://vogue.ph/magazine/forgotten-island-directors-januel-mercado-joel-crawford-creative-crew/)
9. [DreamWorks Animation Drops 'Forgotten Island' Release Date, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/news/dreamworks-animation-drops-forgotten-island-release-date)
10. [DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island Gets New Trailer, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/forgotten-island-trailer-directors-joel-crawford-januel-mercado-interview/)
11. [Panduan Film - Forgotten Island, Lembaga Sensor Film (Indonesia)](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forgotten-island/1514)
12. [BINI, Lea Salonga Unite For A Special Version Of "A Parallel World", Billboard Philippines](https://billboardphilippines.com/music/news/bini-lea-salonga-a-parallel-world/)
13. [With 'Forgotten Island,' DreamWorks Animation is betting that an original, Filipino story will draw audiences, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/newsletter/2026-10-06/wide-shot-forgotten-island)
14. [Jollibee Marks First-Ever Global DreamWorks Animation Collaboration with Forgotten Island, Jollibee Group](https://www.jollibeegroup.com/news/jollibee-marks-first-ever-global-dreamworks-animation-collaboration-with-forgotten-island/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2026 and later › Titles symbols to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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