Forgotten Island is like that friend you have who is hilarious, crazy and ultimately exhausting: you want to hang out with them, you have a blast while in the moment, and then look forward to enjoying a nice, quiet reprieve at the library.
Clever, ridiculous, and frenetic, Forgotten Island is one of the best animated movies of the year, a film that revels in nonstop shenanigans while embracing the importance of both retaining memories and growing beyond them. The movie centers on two lifelong friends in Manila—Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano)—who, following high school, are about to go their separate ways. Jo, a highly imaginative personification of ADHD, serves as a counterbalance to the studios Raissa, but their friendship is put to the test when they are sucked via sanddollar portal to a fantastical island full of weird creatures and plenty of threats.
Colorful and animated with pure energy, this DreamWorks Animation production is like injecting Red Bull straight into your veins. While it borrows some elements seen in films such as Turning Red and K-Pop Demon Hunters, it looks, feels, and acts like its own entity. The story is fast-paced and entertaining, the script sharp and often funny, and the voice acting through the roof. Written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, Forgotten Island pulses with the power of channeled chaos—mythology, weird creatures, and wild friendships thrust together in a melting pot of ideas.
Crawford and Mercado were clearly on a drug trip when they mapped this movie out.
Its more heartfelt moments work too. We’ve all had friends like Jo, who mean well, are fun to hang out with, but are stuck in a certain stage of life, unable to mature or make that great leap into the unknown. Bonds are challenged as others mature, evolve, and advance in their careers. Forgotten Island explores these themes well enough for an animated film.
All the craziness does become tiring after a while. The shtick doesn’t get old, but had the movie gone for another minute it might have. To that end this isn’t a critique as much as it is commentary on the type of movie it is: it leans hard into a form of silliness that is at its peak of popularity right now, relying heavily on a form of humor that may not be as timeless as that found in some other animated movies. But that’s neither here nor there: Forgotten Island, for the time being, is a blast.
As a parent of a seven-year-old, I will make note of the film’s main villain: she’s scary. A demon with black skin, glowing eyes, razor sharp teeth, and a ruthless demeanor to match, my kid covered her eyes early on but acclimated as the movie progressed. I could see how the baddie would be nightmare fuel for some younger kids, however.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.