Forgotten Island

Forgotten Island
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joel Crawford Januel Mercado
Written by	Joel Crawford Januel Mercado
Produced by	Mark Swift
Starring	H.E.R. Liza Soberano Dave Franco Jenny Slate Manny Jacinto Dolly de Leon Jo Koy Ronny Chieng Kevin McCann Lea Salonga
Edited by	James Ryan
Music by	Nathan Matthew David
Production company	DreamWorks Animation
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	April 15, 2026 (2026-04-15) (CinemaCon) September 25, 2026 (2026-09-25) (United States)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$80 million

Forgotten Island is a 2026 American animated fantasy comedy film written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film features the voices of H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Kevin McCann, and Lea Salonga. Set during the 1990s in the Philippines, the story follows two best friends, Jo and Raissa, who are trapped in the mystical world of Nakali—which gradually feeds on the memories of those within—where they must escape before they forget about each other.

DreamWorks Animation officially announced the film in April 2025, with Crawford and Mercado attached to write and direct. They drew inspiration from their friendship and Philippine mythology. Initial members of the cast were announced in October 2025, with further casting later confirmed the following March.

Following early "work-in-progress" screenings at the 2026 CinemaCon and at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Forgotten Island was theatrically released in the United States on September 25, 2026, by Universal Pictures. The film received highly positive reviews from critics for its visuals, story, and cultural representation.

Plot

In the Philippines during the 1990s, Josephine "Jo" Yuson presents a story about the forgotten island of Nakali ("Nakalimutan") and the dreaded Manananggal. When a classmate mocks her story, Jo attacks him and is sent to the principal's office, where she meets Raissa Molina, another classmate who had defended her. Jo and Raissa quickly become best friends, and Jo invites Raissa to a sleepover with her grandmother, Lola Fatima, who tells them about her travels to Nakali. Their friendship deepens through matching charm bracelets and, by the early 2000s, Lola dies of old age, leaving Jo orphaned.

After graduating high school, Raissa reveals that she will attend Caltech, disappointing Jo. At Raissa's farewell party, Jo overhears Raissa's mother expressing disapproval over her daughter's friendship with her. Jo and Raissa then sneak to the beach, where Jo discovers a magical sand dollar that serves as a portal to Nakali. Despite Raissa's hesitation, they enter the portal together. The next morning, the pair awaken with no memory of the night before. Raissa discovers that half of her hair has been shaved and that she has grown wings belonging to Manang, a Manananggal, who attacks them. They escape with help from Batiba, a Batibat, who offers to return them home in exchange for their friendship bracelets—and the memories attached to them. Refusing to surrender their memories, the girls flee with Raww, a were-aspin who becomes their guide.

At a market, the trio meet Bungi, a Tiyanak, who tells them that the "Jewel of the Sea" they seek was stolen by a Duwende king. Their search leads them to Mermahn, a Kataw who reveals that the sand dollar is in his kingdom. Feeling excluded, Raww lashes out until Jo reassures him and shares her fear of being left behind by Raissa. Following Raww's suggestion, Jo takes them to a Kapre village, where they learn that they had previously saved the villagers from Manang and that Raissa stole her wings. Manang attacks again, separating Bungi from the group. After escaping, the group learns that Mermahn lied about the sand dollar's location. Raww also admits that he works for Batiba, luring humans to her in exchange for returning home. Batiba captures Jo and Raissa but offers their memories stored inside their missing Polaroid camera.

The recovered memories reveal that Jo hid the sand dollar after Raissa stole Manang's wings, preventing their return and causing them to forget the previous night. Feeling betrayed, Raissa abandons Jo to retrieve the sand dollar, ending their friendship. Manang attacks and reclaims her wings, only to discover that Batiba has stolen from her. Jo saves Raissa but stays behind, revealing that she offered herself and her memories to Batiba, so Raissa could return home. Back in the Philippines, however, Raissa uses a leftover firecracker to create a new bracelet charm, allowing her to return to Nakali. With Raww's help, she enters Jo's fading memories and admits how much Jo shaped who she became. The two reconcile, and Batiba finally understands the value of memories and genuine connection. Raww, Bungi, and Mermahn stop Manang from causing another attack, but Batiba willingly returns her stolen memories, making her less hostile. In the aftermath, Jo forgives Batiba and accepts Raissa's future, and the girls finally head home.

Years later, a young adult Jo becomes a successful comic book writer and visits Raissa at college to promote a graphic novel based on their adventures. Before returning home, the two return to Nakali once more, using their friendship bracelets to reopen the portal.

Voice cast

• H.E.R. as Josephine "Jo" Yuson, Raissa's rowdy best friend
  • Kailey Crawford as young Jo
• Liza Soberano as Raissa Molina, Jo's prodigious best friend who is set to leave her home in favor of attending Caltech
  • Kayla Teruel as young Raissa
• Dave Franco as Raww, a well-meaning but hapless were-aspin
• Manny Jacinto as Bungi, a large Tiyanak baby demon
• Jenny Slate as Batiba, a tree-dwelling Batibat that specializes in memories
• Lea Salonga as Manang, the Dreaded Manananggal who is the most feared creature in Nakali
• Dolly de Leon as Lola Fatima, Jo's late grandmother
• Jo Koy as Datu, a Kapre
• Ronny Chieng as Truffle Wuffle, King of the Duwende people
• Kevin McCann as Mermahn, Prince of Kataw people

Additional cast members include Amielynn Abellera and the film's co-director, Januel Mercado as Raissa's parents, Manny and Jane Molina and Nico Santos as Starfish Pasties. Eugene Cordero, Harvey Guillén, Wagner Moura, and Sophia Laforteza of Katseye all have voice cameos in the film.

Production

Development

Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and stars H.E.R. and Liza Soberano.

In April 2025, DreamWorks Animation announced that an original animated adventure comedy film inspired by Philippine mythology, titled Forgotten Island, was in development, with Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado signed to direct. Crawford and Mercado, who had worked together at the studio since Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), drew inspiration from their friendship.

Casting

In October 2025, H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, Jenny Slate, and Lea Salonga were announced as part of the cast. In March 2026, Jo Koy, Dolly de Leon, Ronny Chieng, and Amielynn Abellera joined the cast.

Animation and design

The film's animation style is similar to that of DreamWorks' previous film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), also directed by Crawford. Mercado and Crawford stated that the visual style was inspired by Filipino art and 1990s graphic design. The animation style varies throughout the film, periodically shifting from its primary contemporary computer-generated animation to anime-influenced 2D animation. These stylized 2D sequences are used during flashbacks, referencing the style of anime series such as Dragon Ball Z, Street Fighter, and Sailor Moon, depending on which character recalls a memory. These sequences were animated by Manila-based studio Snipple Animation, reflecting the history of Philippine studios working on outsourced anime series. At the film's Annecy presentation, the filmmakers highlighted the contributions of these Filipino animators, noting that the local culture served as the project's foundation rather than a mere influence. Sony Pictures Imageworks also assisted on the animation in some shots throughout the film.

Music

Forgotten Island (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Nathan Matthew David and various artists
Released	September 18, 2026 (2026-09-18)
Genres	Film score pop hip-hop
Languages	English Filipino
Label	Back Lot

In October 2025, it was announced that Nathan Matthew David would compose the score for the film. Composing the score for Forgotten Island, David travelled throughout the Philippines to research on different indigenous music, including by spending time in Cordillera and Kalinga, and with the T'boli people in Lake Sebu. He also recorded the Bamboo Organ, a 19th-century church pipe organ made with bamboo, in Las Piñas, Metro Manila. Musician Farid Guinomla travelled from Mindanao to play and record the gong and kulintang instruments in Los Angeles. The recording was done in Abbey Road Studios in London. Filipino theater actress Lea Salonga (who also voiced the Manananggal in the film) contributed vocals to the score.

The soundtrack album was released digitally by Universal's Back Lot Music label on September 18, 2026, ahead of the film's release date. It features performances by local Filipino acts Bini, Lea Salonga, SB19, Francis Magalona, Katseye's Sophia Laforteza, Ruby Ibarra and Carl Angelo, in addition to leads H.E.R. and Liza Soberano.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Nathan Matthew David, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"B.R.B."	Ryan Tedder Gabriella Wilson	H.E.R. and Liza Soberano	3:33
2.	"Pasakalye" (Street)			0:56
3.	"Tayo Na" (Let's Go)			1:18
4.	"A Parallel World"	Shawn Wasabi David	Bini	3:38
5.	"Lola" (Grandma)			0:55
6.	"Tadhana" (Destiny)			1:48
7.	"Never Tear Us Apart"	Andrew Farriss Michael Hutchence	Sophia of Katseye	3:16
8.	"Nakalimutan" (Forgotten)			0:54
9.	"Susmaryosep! Hay Naku! Maanghang!" (My Goodness! It's Spicy!)			0:43
10.	"Salbahe Ako" (I'm Bad)	Ibarra Carl Angelo Viray Antonio Cuna Jerry Lordan	Carl Angelo and Ruby Ibarra	3:05
11.	"Ninakaw sa Akin" (What Was Stolen from Me) (feat. Lea Salonga)			1:32
12.	"Batiba"			0:58
13.	"Sarimanok"			1:03
14.	"Mga Kababayan" (My Countrymen)	Francis Magalona Jimmy Antiporda	SB19	3:33
15.	"Bungi" (Toothless)			1:08
16.	"King Truffle Wuffle"			1:46
17.	"Prince Mermahn" (feat. Nico Santos)			1:49
18.	"Jerk in the Box"	Joel Crawford David Matt Loman Januel P. Mercado James Ryan	H.E.R. and Liza Soberano	0:22
19.	"Double Up"	Akeem Hayes Paulo Rodriguez	Guapdad feat. P-Lo	1:59
20.	"Kapre"			1:40
21.	"If We Remember"			1:25
22.	"Magnanakaw" (Thief) (feat. Lea Salonga)			4:17
23.	"Hulihin" (Catch)			4:40
24.	"It Was You"			2:35
25.	"Balik" (Return) (feat. Lea Salonga)			2:16
26.	"All of Them"			2:07
27.	"One Last Deal"			2:44
28.	"Forgotten Friendship"			2:32
29.	"I'm So Sorry, Apo"			2:13
30.	"Without You"			0:59
31.	"Memories Are Magic"			0:58
32.	"Bahagi Mo" (A Part of You) (feat. Lea Salonga)			1:22
33.	"Paalam, Nakali" (Farewell, Nakali)			1:52
34.	"Jo and Raissa Suite"			6:14
35.	"Ang Manananggal Suite" (feat. Lea Salonga)			6:51
36.	"Batiba Suite"			4:30
37.	"A Parallel World"	Wasabi David	Bini feat. Lea Salonga	4:13

Marketing

The first trailer was released on March 25, 2026. On July 24, members of the cast took part in the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con to promote the film. They were joined by Bini, who performed one of the film's songs, titled "A Parallel World".

Release

Forgotten Island was released in the United States on September 25, 2026. A work-in-progress cut was screened at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 15, 2026, and at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France on June 24, receiving a five-minute standing ovation at the latter festival.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Forgotten Island will be released alongside Primetime, Heart of the Beast, and the re-release of Avengers: Endgame, and is projected to gross $15–17 million in its opening weekend.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 75 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Matt Goldberg of TheWrap gave the film a three-and-a-half out of five rating and wrote, "With influences ranging from The Hangover to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the DreamWorks animated feature is admirably ambitious."

External links

• Official website
• Forgotten Island at IMDb