From left: Raissa (Liza Soberano) and Jo (H.E.R.) in DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado.
PHOTO: DreamWorks Animation
By Kharisma McIlwaine
DreamWorks Animation invites audiences to embark on a thrilling new adventure this fall with “Forgotten Island,” a visually stunning film by the Academy Award-nominated writer-director duo Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, and produced by Academy Award nominee Mark Swift. Crawford and Mercado are the creative team behind “The Croods: A New Age” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”
In “Forgotten Island,” the dynamic duo brings their signature storytelling and bold visual style to a story about lifelong best friends on the road to self-discovery. The film features a standout voice cast, including Grammy-winning singer-songwriter H.E.R. (Gabriella Wilson) in her animated feature debut, Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, Jenny Slate, Lea Salonga, Jo Koy, Dolly de Leon, Ronny Chieng and Amielynn Abellera. Packed with DreamWorks’ signature blend of heartfelt humor, breathtaking visuals, and a rich emotional core, “Forgotten Island” promises to keep audiences fully immersed from start to finish.
In preparation for filming, the crew took a trip to the Philippines to ensure the world culture of the Philippines was infused throughout every aspect of “Forgotten Island.” The story, which centers on friendship, culture, and Filipino mythology and folklore, is tied together by the importance of holding onto memories.
Before the cinematic journey begins, a selected group of journalists and fans had the exclusive opportunity to venture into this hidden world early through a special visual livestream sneak peek event on behalf of the DreamWorks Animation Campus.
The virtual trailer launch event began with an introduction by Margie Cohn, president of DreamWorks Animation.
“DreamWorks is committed to theatrical experience — experiences that will delight global audiences — and this movie is a prime example of that,” Cohn said. “When passionate and talented filmmakers like Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado come to you with an original pitch that is not just personal, but is about forever friendships, you feel like you’ve won the lottery. This movie is not just beautiful because, frankly, that’s what DreamWorks does — it’s hilarious and it’s also sneaky emotional. So, prepare yourselves to be blown away.”
Cohn then introduced Jazz Tangcay, senior artisans editor at Variety, who moderated the panel and began by welcoming Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado.
The longtime close friendship of Crawford and Mercado sparked the idea of creating another project together— “Forgotten Island” was the result.
“Yeah, I mean, it is crazy to think, I don’t know, over like five years ago, Januel and I were just finishing up the last two movies “The Croods: A New Age” and “Puss and Boots: The Last Wish” and we were, like, ‘What are we gonna do next? What [story] are we gonna tell?’’ Crawford said, reflecting on their journey.“This day has got me in the feels. To have such a great friend for so many years, that together we came up with a story that we were, like, ‘We have to share this with the world,’ and today this is the beginning of that.”
“Just to echo the sentiments, first, Joel, that we’re here,” Mercado said. “This is amazing. Just like Joel was saying, pretty emotional because, yeah, it’s been an amazing journey, and this journey is continuing. You know, we have an amazing crew and cast that’s just been putting, like, all their love and heart into this movie. We’re so excited for you guys to experience that and share, you know, all this concentrated effort and love and craftsmanship in a story that is personal to both of us.”
In addition to their friendship serving as the foundation for the film, the duo also shared their gratitude to their families — specifically citing the strong Filipina women in their families — who also served as inspiration for the characters.
“I just wanted to thank my sister Jo,” Mercado said. “She’s a big part of my family.”
“A big inspiration for me in this movie is my wife Kathy, who’s here today as well,” Crawford said. “So, without them, without our family and the strong women in our family, this movie would not exist.”
“One other person we wanted to thank is our producer, Mark Swift,” Crawford said “We work on every movie with him, and he’s here with us on this journey too.”
“Thanks to the studio, Margie and Kristin,” Mercado said. “This is amazing. I’m just going to be basking in this all day. [I’m] so really appreciative. So, so grateful.”
Crawford shared how his longtime partnership with Mercado served as the foundation for the film.
“So, there’s multiple kinds of, I think, personal ingredients in this story, one of them being, like we mentioned, Januel and I, we’ve been friends for almost two decades here at DreamWorks,” Crawford said. “We started together on “Comfy Kind of Two,” and I’m going to embarrass Januel for a second here. “We were storyboard artists, and we were put together in the same office, and it was one of those things where Januel has this superpower, which is he has this ability to make everybody feel safe and feel seen.”
“I found so quickly a kind of a kindred spirit in my stupid humor, in my movie references, and just more than anything, a great friend who made me feel like I could be myself around him,” Crawford continued. “That, honestly, is a gem that has gifted me, like I said, for almost two decades. And when given the opportunity to tell an original story, I was, like, ‘Friendship, man — it’s got to be about that.”
The leading ladies in the film, H.E.R., who plays Jo, and Liza Soberano, who plays Raissa, joined the panelists to discuss their roles as lifelong best friends in the film.
Both actresses, who are of Filipino heritage, spoke about the personal connection they each have to the story.
“Oh, my gosh, I was so excited. Like, you have no idea,” H.E.R. said. “We were in the Philippines in 2019, and my mom was literally trying to scare us, talking about Manananggal and all these other stories. I literally grew up on them. So, I just thought it was so cool. It was, like, I get to share a piece of my childhood in this work and with the world. That’s so, so cool. That’s super rewarding to me.”
“Yeah — for me, it was super exciting, too,” Soberano said. “Because it’s been a long time dream of mine to be able to be in a project that really represented the Philippines in a very accurate way — but at the same time, it is universal enough for people outside of Filipinos and the Philippines to be able to relate to.”
“Aside from that, just to have Filipino culture displayed or showcased by a major studio, I think is very, very exciting, because we don’t really get that often,” Soberano added. ”So, it meant a lot to me. I was very, very excited and very honored to be part of this project.”
For both actresses, seeing the trailer was about more than just excitement for the film — it was about what it meant for Filipino representation in mainstream animation.
“The first time I saw it, I cried,” Soberano said. “Like, I literally cried because I was just imagining all the children in the Philippines and what they would feel when they see it, and just how proud they would feel to see something that beautiful, representing our culture and our country on the big screen. It just felt like such a big moment. I’m really excited for all the kids to see it.”
“Same. I mean, Filipinos are very proud to be Filipino, and I think that like you said, we haven’t gotten many big platforms to show our culture,” H.E.R. said. “I’m from the Bay Area, so I grew up around a lot of Filipinos, but as soon as I left, I moved to New York, and I was around the world. There aren’t that many people that know about what we’re about and also don’t realize how similar we are to other cultures in our values, like family and friendship. To see the sun — which is such a big deal — it’s a big symbol for us. It does something different to see it in a film. Like, you know, we see it when we see some of our Filipino heroes but like to see it in a film — like you said, for kids, it just hits different, and it’s definitely very emotional, and it’s very special.”
“Forgotten Island” is not just a celebration of Filipino culture and the bonds of friendship, but a love letter to the memories that shape us. The adventure that is “Forgotten Island” opens in theaters on September 25. Check out the link to the trailer. https://www.youtube.com/embed/a8RHqN93qfo?si=aMZQ2WN7Y9ADNE-B
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