A New DreamWorks Animated Film Finally Lives Up To Its Promise

DreamWorks Animation has spent the past decade playing catch-up to Disney and Pixar. Its biggest hits of the 2000s — Shark Tale, Over the Hedge, Bee Movie — rode the novelty of computer animation to box office success, even when the films themselves were uneven or strange. The studio has since settled into a pattern of remakes, sequels, and spinoffs tied to existing properties, often landing on Netflix and Peacock rather than theaters.

Forgotten Island changes that pattern. It is not based on a children’s book series, a TV show, or another DreamWorks movie. It borrows its style from the success of KPop Demon Hunters, but DreamWorks started its stylistic overhaul earlier, with more painterly textures on The Bad Guys, its Puss in Boots sequel, and The Wild Robot, its most acclaimed film in years.

The result is a movie that feels fresh, manic, and visually confident. It tells a story about two best friends who lose their memory of a shared adventure, and it does so with a color palette and a rhythm that reflect the closeness of their bond.

Raissa and Jo: A Decade-Long Bond

The lead characters are Raissa (voiced by Liza Soberano) and Jo (voiced by H.E.R.). They meet as pre-teens and become best friends through their shared love of mythology about the forgotten island of Nakali. Raissa is an overachiever with strict but loving parents, headed to college in America. Jo is more of a goof-off, stuck in a series of fast-food jobs.

Their friendship is the engine of the movie. The film spends plenty of time showing them gassing each other up, from their first meeting through their high school graduation. The colorful, caffeinated style — heavy on visual accent marks — reflects a bangle-heavy, iconographic friendship-bracelet aesthetic. It also draws from the movie’s unacknowledged time period: it seems to take place at least in part during the ’90s, or is heavily inspired by ’90s songs and culture.

The movie’s animation style is also influenced by its setting. The girls grow up in the Philippines, and that cultural context shapes the look of the film. The visual accents are not just decoration. They are a direct reflection of the bond between the two leads.

The Plot of Nakali

On their last night together, Raissa and Jo find a portal to the real Nakali. They wake up the next morning with no memory of their wild night spent there. To get home, they have to retrace their memory-blanked steps.

That premise gives the movie a Hangover structure. It also pairs with a Superbad/Booksmart dynamic, all animated in a low-angle music-video hyperpop frenzy. The directors, Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, assign their engaging characters mission-based busywork as they dart around from region to region on Nakali. Go to this place, retrieve this object from this guy, bring these characters along as powered-up sidekicks.

The side characters are often very funny in design, dialogue, and vocal performance. A were-dog voiced by Dave Franco stands out. But their fast friendships threaten to undermine the main characters’ decade-long bond.

The Directors’ Split Role

Joel Crawford directs Forgotten Island. Januel Mercado co-directs. Together they assign the characters mission-based busywork as they dart around Nakali, retracing their memory-blanked steps.

Young Adult Themes, Kid-Friendly Packaging

Forgotten Island is really a young adult story, augmented with concessions to the idea that animation has to appeal to five-year-olds. That is understandable. Younger viewers will feast on the movie’s approximation of teenagers.

The story is a madcap fantasy of teen besties, with a bittersweet acknowledgment that life sometimes pulls those intense friendships apart. The DreamWorks team has not quite mastered the Pixar art of crystallizing its themes into a single moment or image that decimates the audience’s emotional defenses. But they are getting closer.

At one point, the movie wrings a surprising amount of pathos from a surface area as small as a post-it note. It is a neat counterpoint to the movie’s visual maximalism.

Visual Style vs. Streaming Era

The visuals guarantee that Forgotten Island does not feel like a streaming project in waiting. Unlike a lot of recent DreamWorks output, this one rewards a big-screen viewing. It is worth seeing on the big screen.

The Studio’s Progress

DreamWorks has a history of relying on IP, spinoffs, and remakes. Forgotten Island shows what the studio can do when it starts from scratch. The style is fresh, the story is original, and the characters are compelling.

The movie borrows a bold, vibrant style and applies it to a sincere story about two best friends losing their memory of a shared adventure. The animation is energetic, the performances are engaging, and the emotional core is strong.

The post-it note moment stands out as evidence of the studio’s progress toward the Pixar art of crystallizing themes. It is a small detail, but it lands. That balance is rare in animation, and it is why Forgotten Island stands out.

Final Word

Forgotten Island is a breath of fresh air for DreamWorks Animation. It is the best DreamWorks animated movie in a decade, and it is worth seeing on the big screen.

“It’s a neat counterpoint to the movie’s visual maximalism.”

That line captures the movie’s tension. It is loud and colorful, but it finds quiet in the right moments. That balance is rare in animation, and it is why Forgotten Island stands out.

This reviewer agrees that the movie is a step forward for the studio. It borrows a bold, vibrant style and applies it to a sincere story about two best friends losing their memory of a shared adventure. The animation is energetic, the performances are engaging, and the emotional core is strong.

See it on the big screen.

Source material: “‘Forgotten Island’ Is The Best DreamWorks Animated Movie In a Decade,” Decider.

animated movie · DreamWorks Animation · Forgotten Island · movie review · streaming era