“Forgotten Island” Review

It seems like every couple of years we get an animated film whose core story is about friendship amongst girls. With films like Turning Red (2022) and Inside Out 2 (2024), Forgotten Island takes its place in the lineup of girl powered friendship. This movie can be described as overstuffed with characters, frenetic, and predictable; it can also be described as visually opulent, bittersweet and wildly imaginative.

Teenagers, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) are the classic case of opposites attract. Jo is a tomboy who has a knack for getting in trouble and living loudly. Raissa has a knack for academics and flying under the radar. After an incident in class sends them both to the principal’s office, they officially meet for the first time and their unbreakable duo begins. Well…there’s kind of a trio with Lola (Dolly De Leon) Jo’s grandmother who not only stokes their love for movies and folk stories about the island of Nakali, but she also encourages their morale in ways their parents don’t.

The story really takes off when the girls are at a fork in the road of life. Raissa is going to go off to college in the United States, while Jo will stay in the Philippines where they grew up with a seemingly lack of a bright future. So with one last night to create another lasting memory, the girls go out to their favorite spot on the beach only to find the lost island of Nakali.

A candy colored palette paints the entire film and the use of animation is absolutely on display on overdrive. There is so much to take in with every frame of the film. As the girls meet friends, like Raww (Dave Franco), a shapeshifting dog, and enemies like Manang (Lea Salonga) on the island, a Hangover-esque plot unveils. While they try to put the pieces of what happened at the party last night together, they also must wrestle with the possibility of their friendship coming to an end.

Co-writers/directors Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado have crafted a pure film examining friendship and how it has to evolve over time. Drawing on his past as a Filipino American, you can see the love that Mercado has for his roots on the screen. The script is a little aimless at times, like its main character Jo, and has too many characters we’re introduced to that seemed to have gotten stuck somewhere between bit role and main character in the writing process. Yet, at its core, the friendship of Jo and Raissa is something we can all relate to. It’s a timeless story of the struggle of watching your best friend progress, not wanting to get left behind but also not wanting to hold them back. It’s a good time at the movies for any family, or friends.

Rating: B-