Forgotten Island Puts Filipino Mythology Center Stage in a New DreamWorks Film
DreamWorks Animation’s “Forgotten Island” builds a major studio release around Filipino folklore, myths, creatures, and all. It opened in Philippine cinemas on September 23, 2026, two days ahead of its wider theatrical release.
Two girls, one grandmother’s stories
The film follows Jo and Raissa, lifelong best friends voiced by Grammy winner H.E.R. and Filipino actress Liza Soberano. Their bond formed around the mythological stories told by Jo’s grandmother, Lola Fatima, played by Dolly de Leon. Raissa is set to leave for Caltech, and their goodbye party is meant to be their last night together before college.
A sand dollar opens the door to Nakali
During their farewell celebration, the pair finds a magic sand dollar that transports them to Nakali, the mysterious island Lola Fatima had described for years. They arrive with no memory of the last 12 hours. The rest of the movie follows them piecing together what happened.
The creatures pulled straight from Philippine folklore
Nakali is populated with figures lifted from Philippine mythology. The Ibong Adarna appears alongside Raww, a wer-aspin, the film’s shapeshifting take on the free-roaming street dogs common in Filipino cities, voiced by Dave Franco. The vampiric Manananggal is a character named Manang, voiced by Tony Award winner Lea Salonga. A narcissistic merman named Kataw Prince Mermahn, voiced by Kevin McCann, rounds out the cast of creatures. Philippine folklore usually paints these figures as frightening. In this film, most of them stay friendly as long as they are shown respect.
Home before Hollywood
“Forgotten Island” opened in the Philippines on September 23, following nationwide sneak previews on September 19 and 20, ahead of its wide U.S. release on September 25. The sequencing gave Filipino audiences the first look at a Hollywood production built around their own stories. East Bay rapper Ruby Ibarra introduced a San Francisco premiere on September 22 to a crowd that included her own family.
The people who made it real
The film was written and directed by Joel Crawford and Filipino American filmmaker Januel Mercado, the team behind “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” Mercado grew up on the myths the film draws from, and the creative team spent ten days researching in the Philippines in spring 2025. A welcome party thrown by Mercado’s relatives during that trip became the basis for the going away party scene. The voice cast includes Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy, and Ronny Chieng, and the score draws on Indigenous influences from Filipino American composer Nathan Matthew David.
The story is set in the 1990s Philippines, down to the public school uniforms and jeepneys the characters ride past. The soundtrack matches the decade, threading in Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” and INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart” alongside new songs, including one from H.E.R. and Soberano.
Reviewers have compared the film to “KPop Demon Hunters” and the “Spider-Verse” movies for how deeply it draws on a single culture. One party scene alone works in the tinikling dance and a plate of lechon.
