Forgotten Island is the DreamWorks animated feature about lifelong friends Jo and Raissa. On the verge of going separate ways after graduation, they reach Nakali, where they encounter creatures from stories they heard from their Filipino families. H.E.R. voices Jo and Liza Soberano voices Raissa.
Why it is these two friends’ island story
Jo and Raissa visit Nakali at a moment when their shared childhood is already ending. DreamWorks’ setup ties their way home to their memories of each other. For viewers choosing among animated adventures, that makes the reason for the trip as important as the creatures along the way. The danger goes straight to what the two friends are afraid of losing.
The named creatures can help confirm the feature from a trailer. Dave Franco voices Raww, a weredog who accompanies the friends. Lea Salonga voices the Manananggal they have to face. Jo, Raissa and Nakali are the strongest combination for identifying the work when another film or documentary comes up under a similar island title.
Two ways to place the creative team
Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado wrote and directed, with Mark Swift producing. DreamWorks identifies the same filmmaking team with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The shared credits explain a connection in production. The title, the two graduates and the island identify the separate story.
If you are interested in how an animated film uses folklore, start with what the girls already know from family stories. Recognising a creature can be part of how they understand the island. Keep the specific name and the way this film uses it distinct from any account of the wider tradition.
Match the voices to the characters
Use H.E.R. as Jo and Liza Soberano as Raissa when checking the credited performance. If you are choosing a dubbed edition, the character names give you the same reference points while you check which performers and audio tracks that edition lists.
Sources and review
- Forgotten Island — DreamWorks Animation
- Forgotten Island — Universal Pictures At Home