Earlier this year, it was reported that Disney scrapped a Pixar film that had been in development for three years known as Be Fri, a film about two teenage girls whose friendship was on life support and wondering if it could possibly stand the test of time. It was confirmed that the project got canned because the higher-ups of Mickey Mouse felt a female-centered animated film like that wouldn’t appeal to younger boys. Whether or not you believe that was the main reason for that film being axed (considering the amount of female-led content Disney has produced the last few years, I’m gonna go with an absolute NO!), it’s quite fascinating that DreamWorks Animation’s newest release seems to act as the perfect antidote for those that were underwhelmed of Be Fri never seeing the light of day.
Much like the non-existent Pixar film, it’s main premise too surrounds the relationship surrounding two teenage girls whose friendship is put to the test and wondering if it can stand the test of time. Only it’s main setting is on a mysterious and whimsical island! Oh, and these are Filipino girls! Oh, and it’s also directed by the same guys that gave us Puss In Boots: The Last Wish nearly four years ago! All of those ingredients make this film seem like a match made in heaven and I’m happy to reported that it’s exactly that!
Forgotten Island not only makes for another fine animated adventure from DreamWorks Animation but it’s the best animated film of the year so far! This is a beautiful, funny, and emotionally moving film about two young girls learning the importance of friendship and knowing when to let each other go. The hyper style animation that worked tremendous well with The Last Wish works just as well here, the best friend dynamic between the two leads is incredibly engaging, the male driven side characters are giving enough moments and laughs without overstaying their welcome, and the Filipino cultural representation is absolutely off the charts, being able to capture that same lightning in a bottle with representation that Disney used to be able to do in their SLEEP! It does take a minute to get fully going and the 90s references and comedic male sidekicks won’t be for everybody, but Forgotten Island is the real deal and I highly recommend it!
Premise: Best friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to Nakali, a fantastical island that’s filled with magical creatures. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, they try to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.
Admittedly, for the first third of the film, Forgotten Island plays out exactly like the film that the trailer depicted it as, a kid friendly mix of The Hangover and After Hours, with 90s references and pretty visuals flying off the screen willy nilly and using it’s cultural representation as a shield to deflect any kind of mainstream criticism. Yes, the grade/high school friendship setup is cute enough but it can only go so far if it all it has to offer is the absolute bare minimum of decent at best chemistry between the two leads. However, once we see Jo and Raissa enter the unknown island that they’ve heard so much stories off, the picture becomes much more than meets the eye (and I am absolutely NOT making that reference based off another recent animated film that too was hurt by weak trailers and marketing!).
It’s then we see Forgotten Island using it’s own original premise based off to it’s finest advantage. Despite offering plenty of the same slapstick, laughs, and eye popping imagery that the initial reel does, there is still a solid central story here to connect with, with two girls using the memories of their distinct friendship and time together to navigating their way through a mysterious island, with the wonder of how long can their friendship last on the island and off of it once Raissa leaves for college. An island which it’s own gimmick is making you forget of all the time you have spent with the ones you love both on and off the island. While there’s a certain uncanny valley vibe here that directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado brought with their previous film, The Last Wish, with themes surrounding time and not throwing your lives away, Forgotten Island does exist in it’s own bubble with it’s main characters making actions not strictly through their own sense of selfishness like Puss in Boots does in The Last Wish but also through their own sense of selflessness. That throughline is what makes this newest DreamWorks animated classic the real masterstroke, making for about as good of a spiritual successor to The Last Wish as anyone could hope for.
Once we get to the forgotten island, we are greeted to several male sidekicks and some other female additions to the cast. These are all individuals of the island that Jo and Raissa have interacted with before but can’t remember when. Without going too much into details with each character, they all serve their purpose here without having roles come across as too small or too large. I can’t guarantee you will laugh at every joke that comes from Dave Franco’s mouth as Raww or won’t see the true motives coming with Jenny Slate’s Batiba but that make enough of a unique presence that only adds to the friendship of our two main leads rather than take away from them. Don’t be surprise if you see Raww added in to the next brand new DreamWorks Animation logo.
The film is able to finish off on a strong note, with a third act that is both equally parts funny and tearjerkingly moving (Did I REALLY get misty-eyed during the climax?!). It’s able to tie up it’s messages and central arcs for it’s two main characters in a way that resolves everything in a satisfying bow that never feels manipulative, contradicts the themes of the story, or even breaks it’s own rules of the forgotten island. It even manages takes perhaps the most infamous end of second act/beginning of third act trope that has become a staple with animated films and actually manages to make it work in a way that I haven’t seen done properly since Wreck-It Ralph. Despite all the laughs, gags, and jaw dropping animation to be found here, it never loses it’s heart and soul and the third act proves it.
The animation is as ever bit of gorgeous as you would expect for a brand new 3D animation film released in 2026! The visuals are eye popping and blend perfectly with the colorful art style that the film presents itself with. And much like the other hyper stylized 3D animated films we have gotten in recent memory, it’s able to use it’s animation to create genuine unique set pieces and imagery that you could possibly never do in live-action. Even if you are someone that is getting sick and tired of the Spider-Verse-like animation style, you can’t deny that filmmakers are doing everything to do their advantages to make animation stand out among the best mediums in film.
The directing by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado is excellent, it moves at a brisk and fast pace that makes every use it can of it’s 109 minute long runtime, it’s constantly funny throughout with plenty of amusing and creative gags throughout, the voice acting is on point, with H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, and Manny Jacintno standing out the best, and it’s Filipino representation is incredibly refreshing for a mainstream animated film, with plenty of love and care put into every single frame here. Also, having an end credits that shows off the photos of the cast and crew with their friends and families is genuinely heartwarming stuff.
I wouldn’t put Forgotten Island on the same level as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish as it does have some imperfections that weight it down a bit. It takes a second to kick into high gear, with the first reel containing all the tropes you expected with the trailer and a slightly rushed montage of Jo and Raissa’s friendship, the humor among the side characters won’t be to everyone’s tastes, and while it’s cool that the film is set in the 90s, I’m not entirely sure what difference it would make if you just set in modern day other than being free to include as many 90s references as possible and….the 1990s were cool I guess.
Forgotten Island makes for another home run to go with the other home runs that DreamWorks Animations has hit throughout the 2020s. Between the excellent The Bad Guys, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, The Wild Robot, and this to the very good/great Dog Man and The Bad Guys 2, it might be time to start declaring DreamWorks as perhaps the best western animation studio at the moment. Regardless of your opinions on Megamind 2, Kung Fu Panda 4, or the other sequels from their lesser known franchises that no one remembers, there’s not enough animation studio out there that makes hits click as well as they did, making any recent shortcomings seem forgivable in the long run. Now please DreamWorks, just nail it with Shrek 5 next year and I no longer have to keep defending you!
Regardless, Forgotten Island is the best animated film of 2026 thus far and deserves your money and support in theaters!
