Forgotten Island apparently has an embargo on chill pills. This zanily chaotic adventure hits the ground running and never stops. But that’s the thrill of being young again and on the cusp of something new. Teens Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) have been besties for years, having quickly become kindred spirits as two weirdos during grade school. Their bond has only grown as they’ve experienced so many milestones together, like era-defining music and the death of beloved grandparents.
As graduation approaches, though, Raissa seems ready to hit the brakes on a relationship that’s never taken its foot off the gas. That’s a hard change for Jo, whose rambunctious irreverence needs a guide to keep in check. But even as these friends face their next chapters, they approach the future in their signature fashion: like two adrenaline junkies hooked up to bottomless IVs of Red Bull.
The girls’ lively energy makes Forgotten Island a madcap gong show from beginning to end. Writers and directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado amass an extraordinary amount of speeding tickets in this fast-faced whirlwind that’s as busy visually as it is swift narratively. Forgotten Island, admittedly, proves a dizzying experience. It moves so quickly and so erratically that it never quite finds its groove.
And yet much like its zany, spunky, and indefatigably over-caffeinated heroine Jo, Forgotten Island doesn’t seem to want a groove. One can’t fairly judge this animated fable by Hollywood standards of narrative and style. Crawford and Mercado deeply invest Forgotten Island in Filipino lore and mythology, but also Asian film styles and aesthetics kinetically punched up by Eastern comics and pop culture. It’s disorienting but invigorating with so many elements inspiring sensory overload.
The film appropriately conjures a story of portals and faraway places. Jo and Raissa hardly know the meaning of standing still. However, their last night together proves especially busy when they’re magically transported to the mythical island of Nakali.
This trip means a big deal for the girls, doubly so given its spontaneity, but the myth of Nakali unites them from the inception of their friendship. After they both awaken following a blackout on the heels of a gonzo, zonked-out, fully bonkers evening on Nakali with a shape-shifting boy-dog named Raww (Dave Franco), they learn that surrendering all memories of their friendship may be the only way to return to life back home. They embark on a non-stop adventure to return, while soaking up the magical wonders of Nakali of which they’ve dreamed.
Along the way, friends old and new encounter an endless stream of obstacles: a memory-stealing cat, an army of little minions that resemble Toad’s long-lost mushroom kin, a dreamy merman with an outsized chest and a narcissistic personality to match, and the feared Manananggal. The latter is the island’s fiercest predator, but one that Jo and Raissa have long admired. A super-vampire with the ability to split in half, the lore of Manananggal actually forms the core of the pals’ friendship. Their belief in the wonders on Nakali first united them in the classroom. They even share two parts of a Manananggal totem on the matching charm bracelets that Jo gifted them. These bracelets connect their history of memories until now as the island tests the strength of their friendship.
Forgotten Island careens through obstacles and set-pieces, nimbly mixing character development with funky action. The film doesn’t sag for a beat. Crawford and Mercado match the tempo, or perhaps accelerate it, with a shape-shifting visual design. Cut from the cloth of contemporaries like the Spider-Verse films, Forgotten Island pays homage to comics and pop culture bits that inform teenage minds. It’s a technical and artist marvel as the mixed form briskly juggles styles to reflect the elements of folklore and cultural references.
This design peppers the film with Easter eggs and nods as Forgotten Island features a cornucopia of references to Filipino culture. Audiences’ ability to identify the specifics of the hidden treasures will inevitably vary, but they’re crafted as part of the film’s design to be accessible for all. The many nuggets of Jo’s OCD escapist drive envelop her like a rainbow of free spirits.
Forgotten Island finds great hosts for the all-you-can-eat-buffet of story beats and animated nuggets with a spirited voice cast that gamely keeps the pace. Popstar H.E.R. captures Jo’s zany innocence, while Soberano gives the film dramatic levels with her layered work as Raissa. Dave Franco is boyishly fun as Raww, with Jenny Slate and Lea Salonga adding surprising turns as the baddies. Meanwhile, Triangle of Sadness’s Dolly De Leon offers a touching turn as Jo’s beloved grandma.
This whirlwind adventure revs audiences up and roaring with action that never sags and sights that continually soar. It’s exhausting, but most trips over a short timespan usually are…you’ll definitely earn your frequently flyer miles and get your steps in with Forgotten Island.
Forgotten Island opens in theatres Sept. 25.
