DreamWorks Animation has officially released the first trailer for its original animated adventure film, Forgotten Island, which tells a story of lifelong friendship, memory, and cultural identity, and is set for a US release on September 25th.
Forgotten Island is an animated adventure film that tells the story of best friends Jo and Raissa, voiced by Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist H.E.R. and award-winning actress Liza Soberano, respectively, as they prepare for different paths after high school. However, on one last night together, they stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to a mythical island called Nakali, rooted in Filipino mythology and inhabited by magical creatures.
While on the island, they encounter different characters, some of which are allies, like a weredog named Raww, voiced by Dave Franco, and some that are enemies, like Manananggal, voiced by Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga. As they try to find a way back home, they realize the only way is to sacrifice their memories, which will mean losing each other forever.
Forgotten Island is produced by Academy Award nominees Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, who also wrote and directed it in their unique style, and by Mark Swift, the team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
DreamWorks Animation President Margie Cohn said that Forgotten Island is not only a beautiful film but also a funny and heartwarming movie that highlights the beauty of lifelong friendships.
Speaking at the trailer launch event on March 23 at the DreamWorks campus, Crawford said, “At the heart of this movie are two lifelong friends who have grown up together and the stakes of possibly growing apart.”
According to Mercado, even though the movie is inspired by Filipino culture, the story itself is universal: “This theme of friendship isa very specific thing that we’ve all experienced, but a universal thing that we all relate to.”
The filmmakers drew from their own decades-long friendship and personal experiences to shape the story. Mercado, a Filipino American, said the setting was inspired by his heritage and research trips to the Philippines with the production team, which helped inform the film’s visuals and cultural authenticity.
It’s a movie that’s set in the Philippines, but the idea of friendship is something that everybody can relate to.”
Soberano said that the movie’s cultural representation touched her heart, recalling that she cried at the mere sight of the trailer featuring the sun: “I was just imagining all the children in the Philippines and what they would feel.”
H.E.R. said that the movie was important because it would allow her to share Filipino culture with the world: “I get to share a piece of my childhood in this work and with the world.”
The story is also partly set in the 1990s, a time when limitations such as the lack of digital communication heightened the importance of friendship and separation. You cannot FaceTime, Crawford said, which helped heighten the importance of moments and memories.
At its core, Forgotten Island is a movie about the role of memories in defining who you are and your relationships with others. According to Mercado, memories define you, and these meaningful connections are what define who you become.
The movie, which is from Universal Pictures, is DreamWorks Animation’s latest original project for a global audience.
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