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In Forgotten Island, Filipino culture is part of a personal story about friendship, migration and memory—not a claim to represent the Philippines in full. Writer-director Joel Crawford says the idea began with a question: “What if we told a story that celebrated Filipino culture and celebrated friendship?” The resulting animated adventure draws on the filmmakers’ family connections, the cast’s perspectives, Filipino landscapes and a specific, comic reimagining of folklore.
What is Forgotten Island about?
DreamWorks describes Forgotten Island as an original animated film written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, produced by Mark Swift and distributed by Universal Pictures. H.E.R. voices Jo, and Liza Soberano voices Raissa. The two friends reach the island of Nakali, where the memories of their friendship are at stake as they try to get home. DreamWorks’ official film page also provides a downloadable activity kit.
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Forgotten Island (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) | $29.95 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Spain ] | $33.98 | Buy on Amazon |
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A Little Bit of Heaven [Blu-ray] | $12.41 | Buy on Amazon |
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Island of Terror | $14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Crawford frames the story as a turning point in a friendship: one person leaves while the other stays. That separation is present from the film’s early conception, and the adventure’s stakes make the friends’ shared past more than background—it is something they may lose.
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How did Crawford’s family history shape the story?
Crawford has said his wife, Cathy, grew up in the Philippines until age nine, then moved to the United States. Her experience helped inform Raissa’s migration story. In Crawford’s account, the film became a story about identity: holding on to where you came from while moving toward an uncertain future.
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The family connection is an inspiration, not a one-to-one biographical account of Raissa. Crawford also describes migration as a point of connection between the character and the people who helped bring her to life.
How did the cast contribute their own perspectives?
Crawford says the directors wanted performers to shape the characters with their experiences, rather than simply deliver lines. “We didn’t just want someone to show up and perform these lines; we wanted partners in creating this story,” he told CGMagazine.
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He recalls that H.E.R.’s enthusiasm while discussing Filipino food in a Vogue Philippines video helped the filmmakers see her as a fit for Jo. For Raissa, Soberano brought both her acting and the perspective of someone who had left a career in the Philippines to pursue goals in the United States. Crawford connects that experience to the character’s outlook without suggesting the two lives are identical.
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What Filipino references appear in the film’s visual design?
Crawford describes the animation as CG with a hybrid 2D sensibility. He and Mercado drew on anime they remembered growing up with, including Dragon Ball Z, a 1990s Street Fighter anime and Sailor Moon. Crawford says the visual treatment shifts according to whose memories are being relived, tying style to the characters’ subjective past rather than treating it as a single, fixed look.
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- The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
- The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
In its interview with the directors, The Credits describes additional references to Philippine places and imagery: Palawan and El Nido, a portal inspired by the sun on the Philippine flag, and a village modeled on the Chocolate Hills of Bohol. The same interview discusses graphic linework, 2D art and 1990s rave culture alongside the anime influences.
Mercado described the film’s personal connection this way: “We both have personal connections to the Philippines, so this movie is a love letter to our families and a culture that shaped our values.” The landscapes and design references help make that affection visible, but they are selected inspirations within a fantasy world—not a comprehensive picture of Philippine culture.
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What do the friendship bracelets mean?
For Crawford, the bracelets turn memories and feelings into things the characters can see and hold. “They’re these tangible things that represent kind of intangible moments and feelings,” he told CGMagazine. Individual objects represent moments in Jo and Raissa’s childhood and friendship, giving the motif a direct link to the story’s danger: the memories that define their bond are at risk.
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How does the film adapt Filipino folklore?
One specific example is Bunji. Crawford told The Credits that Filipino creative consultant Anthony Francisco proposed adapting a tiyanak into the character. Crawford describes the filmmakers’ comic take as a 200-year-old baby who has never left home.
That is the film’s imaginative interpretation of a folklore figure, not a definitive account of tiyanak stories or a summary of all their versions. The distinction matters: folklore varies, and the film uses a particular idea to serve its own fantasy and comedy.
What Filipino artists and performers contributed to production?
A September 28, 2026, release from the Philippine Embassy in Singapore reports that Quezon City-based Snipple Animation Studios contributed hand-drawn animation sequences. The embassy’s account also identifies an original song by BINI and a song by Francis M. performed by SB19 among the soundtrack contributions. These details extend Filipino participation beyond the story’s inspiration and on-screen casting into the film’s production and music.
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