Jo and Raissa have been best friends since childhood. Now they are graduating, and the futures they imagined together are pulling them in different directions. Raissa is preparing to leave the Philippines for college in California; Jo has no equally clear plan. A mysterious portal sends them both to Nakali, an island filled with creatures from the stories they grew up hearing.
That premise gives DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island two appealing worlds to explore: the mythology of Nakali and the uneasy space between wanting a friend to succeed and fearing what their success will change. Written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the film has no shortage of visual ideas. Its challenge is finding enough quiet time for the friendship at the center of them.
Jo and Raissa Give the Fantasy a Personal Stake
H.E.R. voices Jo, whose imagination has always given her a way into the tales passed down through her family. Liza Soberano voices Raissa, whose academic ambitions are taking her toward a new life. Their friendship feels strongest when the film lets both of those feelings exist at once. Jo can be proud of Raissa and hurt by her departure. Raissa can be excited to go and worried about the person she is leaving behind.
Nakali turns that familiar change into an adventure. The friends must find their way home, but escape may cost them the memories that connect them. It is an effective fantasy problem because those memories mean something specific to Jo and Raissa. They are the history of a relationship both women want to keep, even as their lives begin to change.
Their bond gives the film a dependable center when its plot grows busy. Their disagreements carry more weight than another encounter with a magical creature because neither friend can solve the real problem simply by locating a portal.
Nakali Is Full of Things to See
Crawford and Mercado, who worked together on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, give Nakali a lively visual identity. Creatures vary wildly in shape, scale and temperament, and the animation makes room for changes in style as the friends move through the island. The film draws its fantasy from Filipino folklore, giving Jo and Raissa’s childhood stories a vivid place within their present adventure.
The voice cast adds to that energy. Dave Franco plays Raww, a cheerful weredog who joins the journey; Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng and Lea Salonga are among the performers bringing Nakali’s inhabitants to life. Salonga’s feared Manananggal gives the island a formidable presence beyond its more playful encounters.
At its best, Forgotten Island rewards curiosity. A new corner of Nakali can reveal an ingenious design, a funny creature or a different way to look at a story Jo and Raissa thought they knew. The setting feels worth exploring in its own right.
Too Much Adventure Crowds the Friendship
The film rarely stays in one place for long. Jokes arrive quickly, the visual style keeps changing and the next piece of the quest is usually close behind. That pace makes Forgotten Island entertaining, but it can also make an inventive location feel like a brief stop before the movie rushes elsewhere.
More seriously, Jo and Raissa’s impending separation needs room to register. The film establishes why it matters, then sometimes hurries past their feelings to introduce another complication. Its quieter exchanges have the most to say about the cost of growing up together and choosing different paths. A little more confidence in those moments would make the larger adventure land harder.
Raww brings warmth and comic relief, though the movie occasionally leans on his enthusiasm when its leads could use more time together. This is a crowded island, and not every character or detour contributes equally to the emotional story.
Filipino Folklore Is More Than Scenery
The film’s connection to Filipino stories gives Nakali an importance beyond spectacle. These are tales Jo and Raissa heard while growing up, and encountering their creatures makes the island feel connected to family, memory and the friendship they formed as children.
That connection is where the movie finds its most promising idea. Leaving home does not require Raissa to abandon the stories that shaped her, just as Jo cannot preserve their friendship by keeping both their lives exactly as they were. The film’s fantasy makes those fears visible, even when its busy storytelling does not give every thought enough time to settle.
Final Verdict
Forgotten Island is a colorful, funny adventure built around a friendship worth caring about. H.E.R. and Liza Soberano give Jo and Raissa a believable mix of affection and uncertainty, while Nakali offers DreamWorks an exciting world to explore.
The movie tries to pack so many creatures, jokes and twists into that world that its best emotional moments sometimes have to compete for attention. When it slows down and returns to Jo and Raissa, its story about memory and growing apart becomes much more affecting.
There is plenty here to enjoy. A little more breathing room would have made the journey easier to remember.
An imaginative, fast-moving fantasy whose memorable setting sometimes crowds the friendship at its heart.
Best Moment: Jo and Raissa’s quieter exchanges about the different futures awaiting them.
Standout: Nakali’s inventive creatures and shifting animation styles.
What Worked: The central friendship, Filipino folklore and an island full of visual imagination.
What Didn’t: A packed quest that rarely gives its emotional scenes enough time to breathe.
Forgotten Island FAQ
Two lifelong friends enter the magical island of Nakali and discover that getting home could cost them their memories of each other.
H.E.R. voices Jo, and Liza Soberano voices Raissa.
Yes. It discusses the premise and the film’s strengths and weaknesses without revealing the ending.
Where to Watch Forgotten Island
Forgotten Island opened in U.S. theaters September 25, 2026. Visit Universal Pictures’ official movie page for showtimes and tickets, or explore the film and its cast on DreamWorks Animation’s official page.
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Thomas Miller is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Seat42F, covering television, movies and streaming entertainment. He launched Seat42F in 2007 and has spent nearly two decades covering the entertainment industry.
