A scene from DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island, starring the voices of H.E.R. and Liza Soberano
For the first time, Filipino culture and mythology are not simply part of a Hollywood animated film. They are the story.
That is what makes Forgotten Island such a special moment for Filipino audiences.
DreamWorks Animation’s new fantasy adventure is the first major Hollywood animated feature film to centre entirely on Filipino culture and mythology, bringing Philippine folklore, family traditions, food, music and Filipino voices to a global audience.
Forgotten Island is a fantasy adventure about two best friends whose shared memories become the price of finding their way home. Set in the Philippines in the 1990s, it follows Jo, voiced by Grammy and Academy Award winner H.E.R., and Raissa, voiced by Liza Soberano. In the UAE, it screens starting November 12, Reel Cinemas confirmed to Expat Media. It was originally scheduled on October 15.
After Expat Media editors watched the film preview, one thing is clear: this is not Filipino representation added around the edges of a Hollywood story. Filipino culture is at the very heart of it.
For Filipino viewers, that makes Forgotten Island feel less like a movie you simply watch and more like a collection of memories you recognise.
There is karaoke. There is lechon. There is a jeepney. There is “mano po”. There are duwende, the legendary Manananggal and a gigantic Ibong Adarna. There is even the distinctly Filipino warmth of treating friends like family, and everyone else as your tito or tita.
And then there is the star power. H.E.R. voices Jo, with Filipino-American actress Soberano as her best friend Raissa. Broadway and Disney star Lea Salonga voices the terrifying Manananggal, while the cast also includes Filipino and Filipino-American talents Jo Koy, Manny Jacinto and Dolly de Leon.
Jo Koy, who previously told Expat Media that working in animation was on his bucket list, is another familiar Filipino-American presence audiences can look forward to hearing.
The soundtrack adds another distinctly Filipino layer, with P-pop groups BINI and SB19 among the artists featured.
For a country whose culture has often been represented in Hollywood through individual characters or references, seeing so many elements of Filipino life woven into a major animated adventure is a big-screen moment worth celebrating.
Filipino folklore takes centre stage
The story follows Jo and Raissa, best friends facing the prospect of going their separate ways after high school in the Philippines.
On their final night together, they discover a mysterious portal that transports them to Nakali, a magical island populated by creatures from Filipino mythology, plus an Aspin weredog called Raww (voiced by Dave Franco).
Getting home comes with a price. The longer the girls remain on the island, the more their memories begin to disappear (cue Jenny Slate’s memory demon, Batiba). Soon, the friends are fighting not only to escape Nakali but to hold on to the memories that made their friendship what it is.
This gives Forgotten Island an emotional connection that extends beyond its Filipino setting. For overseas Filipinos, the story of holding on to memories, friendships and cultural identity while life takes you somewhere else can feel especially familiar.
One of the film’s most memorable Filipino touches is also one of its most frightening. The Manananggal, a creature from Philippine folklore traditionally depicted as a woman who can separate her upper body from her lower half and fly through the night, gets a major role in the adventure.
“Tita Manang” has an unmistakable Filipino voice. Lea Salonga brings the creature to life, adding another layer of Filipino star power to the film.
For H.E.R., the Manananggal was already part of her own childhood. “When I was a kid, that was the one that my mom would always tell,” H.E.R. told Reuters. “She’d be like, ‘The Manananggal is gonna get you’.”
She recalled visiting the Philippines with her mother and seeing bats, only for her mother to point them out as Manananggal.
Behind the scenes, Filipino-American filmmaker Januel Mercado co-wrote and co-directed the film with Joel Crawford. The pair previously worked together on the Oscar-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Mercado has also spoken about the personal nature of the project, including naming Jo after his sister Joann. “Strong women have affected me and made me the person I am,” Mercado said.
More than Filipino Easter eggs
What makes Forgotten Island particularly enjoyable is that the Filipino elements are not there simply for audiences to spot. They help tell the story.
The jeepney, the family gatherings, the food, the folklore and the Filipino traditions all belong naturally in the world of Jo and Raissa.
Even the film’s sense of family reflects something Soberano says is deeply Filipino. “In Filipino culture, we have such an innate and natural ability to build found families anywhere we go in the world,” she said. “Part of our culture is just so hospitable and welcoming. We’re really good at connecting with people.”
H.E.R. adds: “Everybody’s your tita, everybody’s your pinsan… Everybody’s your family.”
And yes, the soundtrack is very Pinoy and the Filipino celebration continues through the music, and not just the karaoke scene.
BINI and SB19 are among the Filipino acts featured on the soundtrack, alongside H.E.R., Soberano and other Filipino and Filipino-American artists. That gives Forgotten Island another point of connection with younger Filipino audiences, particularly those who have helped take P-pop from the Philippines to audiences around the world.
Despite all the cultural references, Forgotten Island ultimately succeeds because its central message is universal.
H.E.R. describes memories as “sort of a love language”, explaining that they shape who we become and allow friendships to grow. “I hope [audiences] remember to hug their friends and realize how important friendship is,” H.E.R. said.
Soberano hopes viewers will “reach out to their best friend and reconnect and cherish the art of memory making.”
That is where the film’s Filipino identity and its universal story meet. Filipinos know what it means to make memories around a dinner table, during a karaoke session, at a family gathering or before leaving home for somewhere far away. Forgotten Island understands that memories are not just things we remember. They are part of who we are.
Our verdict: a big-screen Filipino moment
At a preview screening, Expat Media editors gave Forgotten Island a 10 out of 10.
The rating is not simply because the film is Filipino-themed. It is because the movie manages to make Filipino culture feel integral to a fun, emotional and visually ambitious Hollywood adventure.
It gives Filipino audiences the rare experience of sitting in a cinema and seeing their folklore treated as fantasy worthy of a global stage. Seeing a Manananggal take flight in a DreamWorks film is fun. Hearing Lea Salonga give that creature a voice is even better.
Spotting a jeepney, hearing Filipino music, recognising the family dynamics and seeing traditions such as “mano po” appear naturally in the story can make the experience deeply personal.
And knowing that this is the first major Hollywood animated feature film centred on Filipino culture and mythology makes the moment even bigger.
Early reviews have also been overwhelmingly positive. As of Wednesday (September 23), Forgotten Island had a 100 per cent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes based on the reviews listed. Critics have praised its animation, humour, emotional story and Filipino cultural influences.
For Filipino audiences, however, there may be something even more satisfying than the reviews. It is seeing our stories on the big screen. Our folklore, families, humour, music and memories. All in one major Hollywood animated adventure.
Forgotten Island opens in UAE cinemas on November 12. So gather your barkada, bring the family, prepare for a little nostalgia and keep an eye out for those Filipino details. Tayo na! PIA/FAY/Expat Media
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