By Dan Skip Allen 

DreamWorks Animation has been around for a few decades now, and they’ve gotten a few hit franchises on their hands. Starting with “The Shrek” Franchise, with a fifth on its way, then “The How to Train Your Dragon” franchise. They even have spinoffs of their franchise like “The Puss in Boots” films. The last one “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” was fantastic. The filmmakers behind that movie have made another film called “Forgotten Island”. “Forgotten Island” celebrates Filipino culture like no other film I’ve seen before. That’s the main thing about this movie that makes it so good, but there are a lot of other things that make it great as well. When you watch it you’ll see.

Josephine “Jo” Yuson for short, (H.E.R., Kailey Crawford) is a rambunctious Filipino girl. She is stuck on the idea of a hidden island that her grandmother, Lolo Fatima (Dolly de Leon), told her stories about. So when she’s doing a show and tell at her school for her new classmates she tells the story of this Island. This causes problems at her school because the other kids in her class don’t believe in such things. While sitting outside the principals office after attacking one of her classmates, she finds a kindred spirit in Raissa Molina (Liza Soberano, Kayla Tetul). She believes Jo, and from this moment forward, they made a pact that they would find the island. They have a lot of things in common and this makes them become  fast friends. Fast forward to when the girls are teenagers and they have a different idea of what their future entails. This causes a rift between the girls, but something brings them together. Jo finds a sand dollar that her grandmother told her about, and they realize this is the key to the island her grandmother told her about. A portal opens in the ground, and they both jump into it, landing in a strange place they assume is the place her grandmother told her about.

Forgotten Island is a place of beauty and danger. There are characters all around, but the two girls end up not remembering what happened the first night they got to the island. So, in an attempt to remember what happened, they have to retrace their steps by going back to the places they went to the previous day and meeting the same people they met previously as well. They include Raww (Dave Franco), a dog boy who can’t control when he turns into a full dog. Usually, when there is a stick, somebody throws it at him. Basically (Jenny Slate), a fluffy memory Demon who hides in a cave because she doesn’t want to come out. Buggi (Manny Jacinto) is a three eyed Demon baby who is attached to his mother by an umbilical cord before being released. Prince Mehrmann (Kevin McCann) is a vain merman. The truffle king (Ronny Chang), the leader of a kingdom of mushroom people. The Dreaded Manananggal (Lea Solonga) is a mythical vampire woman who can split in half. She is the most dangerous thing on the island. 

As many of the DreamWorks films are, the animation in this film is absolutely gorgeous. The real-world animation is pretty cool when the girls get to know each other, but the animation is much more beautiful when the girls get to the island. The color palette of vibrant purples and greens jump off the screen. The turquoise blue of the water is so realistic you can touch it. All of the characters are well defined. There is even an anime style that is thrown in for good measure in certain circumstances. Usually, in specific emotional moments when the girls get mad or sad or happy. The animation in this movie is the best I’ve seen this year thus far. I was in awe at everything I was looking at. DreamWorks has set a new bar on how great they can make a computer animated film. I was blown away by what I watched. I want to see this again as soon as possible.

There are a couple of themes in this film that I could get behind, and that is, don’t forget the past, and remember your friends. The writers use a Polaroid camera as a tool to show shots from the previous night that the girls have used to retrace their steps so they can find their way back home. The photos are a tin capsule in a way to their memories. Without them, they could forget the things they did together. That’s an analogy in a way to not forget who you are and what you’ve done in your life. These two girls needed to learn about themselves in the course of this film. Having a friend like these two are for each other is rare in the world today. They have a connection like no other. Jo gives Raissa a wristband, and over the years, they add trinkets to them to remember all the things they did together. This is a true sign of friendship that you can’t replace. I loved that aspect of this movie. It shows the true meaning of what friendship really means. What a great message for kids and adults alike. 

Another thing I loved about the film was the soundtrack. Right from the get-go, you have the girls listening to the band Journey. I love Journey, so that was an instant plus for me. There were karaoke moments with popular songs being sung and original songs from various artists who spread throughout the film. “BRB” from H.E.R and Liza Soberano, the title track of the film, “A Parallel World” from K-Pop group Bini and “Never Tear Us Apart” a remix of the classic INXS son is sung  by Sophia Laforteza of KATSEYE. These are just a few of the songs performed in this movie. That doesn’t include the amazing score from Nathan Matthew David or other collaborative tracks. The music in this film is off the chain to use an old reference. 

I heard during CinemaCon in Las Vegas in April that this movie had an unfinished screening but got a huge standing ovation anyway. That’s when I knew “Forgotten Island “ was going to be a special film. It wasn’t until I saw the movie that I realized how special it was. It is the best animated film I’ve seen this year thus far. The animation is gorgeous, the story is very relatable, the characters are colorful and interesting, the voice-over work is impeccable, and the soundtrack is like a character in the film. This movie had at least two great messages about remembering the past and friendship being a strength in humanity.  I want to see this film again to see if I missed anything the first time around. I loved the championing of Filipino culture in a major DreamWorks animated film. This is one of the best films of the year, not just animated films. Everyone should see it, not just kids who their parents take to it.

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 stars