‘Forgotten Island’ Review: Fun Filipino Familiarity At Its Finest For the Family
In collaboration between DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks, here comes Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado‘s Forgotten Island. Taking place in the 1990s/early 2000s Philippines, the fantasy comedy film follows two young women about to be separated by a fork in the road.
Raissa Molina (voiced by Liza Soberano) is accepted into a university in California, but it comes at the price of leaving behind her best friend, Josephine Cleopatra “Jo” Yuson (voiced by H.E.R.), at home. Whereas Raissa is geekier, Jo is a nerdy storyteller with minimal sights for the future. She sees Raissa as close as family.
Clearly, their aging friendship falls into the “separation anxiety” trope of storytelling. The archetypes feel akin to the main two characters of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg‘s Shaun of the Dead. More so, they strongly parallel the protagonists, Evan and Seth, of Greg Mottola, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg‘s Superbad.
Forgotten Island‘s story and tone
Crawford and Mercado write and direct such a splendidly charming and authentically comical film. Forgotten Island is obviously a celebration of Philippine culture and a way of life. It takes inspiration from John Hughes-era teen comedies and other modern cinema gems. Additionally, it employs anime sequences in its overly expressive moments and action sequences.
For an American production, Forgotten Island caters to a primarily English-language audience rather than employing Filipino-American (Fil-Am) dialogue. Even then, the use of the Philippine national language, Tagalog, in certain areas is vital.
The term aswang defines the creatures and monsters of Philippine mythology, from vampires to evil spirits to witches. Lumpia, one favorite food of DreamWorks Animation talent Cameron Diaz, is a form of spring roll served with different kinds of filling. Pasalubong refers to gifts, not necessarily souvenirs, brought back home from a foreign travel destination. Tao simply refers to people or humans.
For a family-friendly film, it’s naturally fitting to see the narrative unfold. The collective team effort on this film’s production is worth the purchase of a movie ticket. As of late, there has been prolific heaviness pervading animated films. Films such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Kelsey Mann, Meg LeFauve, and Dave Holstein‘s Inside Out 2 have proved a tad more challenging to chew.
Still, that isn’t necessarily a detriment to the medium of art. It’s just that Forgotten Island comprehends its material and how to be lighter on the psychology.
Representation of the Philippines and mythos from other countries
With all of this said, two things can be true. The Philippines is such a beautiful, warm country that offers joy and satisfaction wherever you go. At the same time, the country is influenced by affairs of colonization and war through the involvement of Spain, China, Japan, and the United States of America. It remains a place full of pride.
One scene in the opening act perfectly encapsulates what I know, adore, and most likely love about the modern Philippine way of life. The food, the karaoke, the passion for Hollywood cinema, the importance of tinikling—a popular dance that incorporates bamboo poles—the devotion to Christianity/Catholicism, hip-hop, and R&B, and one other meticulous aspect that I refuse to spoil.
It’s hard not to cry in tears of glee and laughter at how on point the details are. The influences are felt in the corners of almost every scene.
It’s interesting for Crawford and Mercado to call upon elements of other countries’ mythologies and histories aside from Philippine mythos. Jo’s middle name is Cleopatra, perhaps after the Queen of Ancient Egypt.
Raissa’s mother, Jane (voiced by Amielynn Abellera), compares her daughter to Jo—as Asian parents often do. Jane refers to Jo as a boulder, a reference to Sisyphus of Greek mythology. An homage to Homer‘s The Odyssey is also made. It’s peculiar, albeit harmonious with the plot at hand.
Ultimately, Forgotten Island is released at an intriguing time, wherein Westernized socio-political views on immigration/migrants and People of Color (PoC) are divisive. Jo and Raissa both undoubtedly love where they come from. The paths that happen to separate them will not change their roots.
The title of the film itself is a synecdoche or metonymy for the Philippines as a country. It subtly asks or suggests that the world doesn’t forget that we exist and that it is a land to be cherished forever.
The co-filmmakers’ blend of Philippine culture with Western popular culture is a savory touch on the narration. To reiterate, calling the film Forgotten Island is done with intention. Jo and Raissa resolve the mystery of their arrival on Nakali through Polaroid photos of their twelve hours spent there.
Callbacks to other films in Forgotten Island
This conflict surrounding memory seems to harken back to Todd Phillips‘s The Hangover trilogy. Jo, Raissa, and the companions that they make on the island call themselves “the Wild Pack”. This is another implicit homage to the trilogy, wherein a mentally unstable character dubs his newfound group of friends “the Wolf Pack.”
I would think that the titular forgotten island, Nakalimutan, or Nakali, is a location setting similar to the world of Narnia. However, for Crawford and Mercado, that isn’t exactly the case. How they aim to work out the logic of time and space is noteworthy. I’m curious to see how that could be extrapolated further.
The fact that the girls are explicitly fans of John McTiernan, Jim Thomas, and John Thomas‘ Predator, a science fiction action-horror movie, is evidence of their taste. This is the only direct reference made, but it’s executed brilliantly.
The mere concept of Jo and Raissa meeting as adolescent troublemakers and sitting on an abandoned Jeepney (a Jeep in the shape of a bus used as public transportation) on the shore of their hometown, as shown in the promotional trailers, takes me back to John Hughes‘s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Music and moving movie magic in this Dreamworks animated film
Looking at the mise-en-scène and the music, the comparisons made with the Spider-Verse films are valid. Surely, Forgotten Island‘s animation styles, namely the character designs, might evoke an uncanny feeling. The antagonistic Manananggal, Manang (voiced by Lea Salonga), has theme music strikingly similar to the Prowler’s theme music. Regardless, credit is due to the DreamWorks and Sony Pictures Imageworks teams for reinvigorating Philippine culture and mythos.
For example, a hydrated Mermahn (voiced by Kevin McCann), Prince of the Kataw or Katau people, closely resembles the “Handsome Squidward” of Stephen Hillenburg‘s SpongeBob SquarePants down to the same hue in skin tone. Manang’s imagery and action sequences resemble material from the Spider-Verse films as well as Tim Miller‘s Love, Death & Robots.
Editors James Ryan and Alexandra Espinoza assemble an extravagant little montage of cuts in the prologue. Here, we see various establishing shots of the Philippines as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” plays righteously in the background. Production designer Ryan L. Carlson and art director Christopher Grun deserve their roses for getting the landscapes of home and the island right.
Even from the back row of my theater auditorium, I can hear the quality in the music, the sound, and the voice work. Supervising sound designer Randy Thom and his team did an excellent job maintaining that. To add, music composer Nathan Matthew David and music editor Sam Zeines score an outstanding soundtrack.
Voice performances in Forgotten Island
In terms of Forgotten Island‘s voice acting, I like the respective distinction between H.E.R. and Liza Soberano as Jo and Raissa. Their chemistry is a key component of the narrative and its conflict.
Crawford and Mercado provide a bit of background on Jo’s family tree. Her tendency to talk about aswang might be a coping mechanism for people who aren’t actually present in her life. Meanwhile, Raissa is a patient character who can exhibit independence and individuality. She is a fighter when she needs to be and a friend always.
Jenny Slate is an interesting voice in the role of the tree-dwelling Tita Batiba. This is a unique change from voicing the main character of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. It’s a bit easier to tell that it’s her, whereas Manny Jacinto‘s role as Bungi, the Tiyanak baby demon, is just silly.
Forgotten Island film rating and final thoughts
I made sure to set aside any biases I have, given that I, a film critic, am Filipino myself. While I may not relate deeply to Philippine mythological creatures or young adult women, merit can still be found in narratives such as this. Sentimentality should never be considered a weakness, and the film handled the idea quite well.
As far as I understand, Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado carefully and accurately depict what it means to hold a Philippine identity. Even if you happen to be biracial or mixed-race, like voice talent H.E.R. and Manny Jacinto, you can still find yourselves at home here.
As an animated fantasy adventure, my gratitude for Forgotten Island‘s creation in this medium has no bounds. Head of story Steven A. MacLeod and his team of storyboard artists achieved something that is absolutely artistic.
It is Crawford and Mercado‘s greatest animated project since Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. In my opinion, it might stay in my top ten ranking of overall DreamWorks Animation films. Maybe, with time, it’ll reach the heights that Shrek and Shrek 2 are at.
The film leaves the door (or portal) open for a sequel, considering the “BRB“ Post-it note present throughout. For now, I can only convince you to watch the film for yourselves and contribute to its box office earnings. You will not regret it!
Also check out: Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom Review
