In Forgotten Island, the DreamWorks animated movie about two teenage friends named Jo and Raissa, there is one phrase that keeps changing meaning. It is “Tayo na!” a Tagalog phrase that can mean “Let’s go!” or “You and me!” or “Get up!” depending on how it is said and who is saying it.
The writers Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado never explain the words directly. Instead, they let viewers pick up the meaning from the scene. That can be a little difficult, because the context changes from moment to moment.
What the Phrase Means
Filipino speakers online have explained the phrase’s many meanings:
- “Let’s go!” — used casually, like rushing to school
- “You and me!” — a closer, more intimate way of saying “together”
- “Get up!” — used as an order, often by parents
In the movie, Jo and Raissa use the phrase to urge each other into adventure or to push through danger. The first time Jo says it, she actually says, “Let’s go! Tayo na!” It starts casual, but it grows heavier as the film goes on.
The Voice Actors Speak Up
Liza Soberano plays Raissa, and singer-songwriter H.E.R. plays Jo. Both have Filipino roots, and both drew on their own families to understand the phrase.
“I grew up saying that,” H.E.R. explains. “I think about my mom [saying it while] rushing me in the morning to get to school. But for us, it became like, our phrase. To say like, ‘Hey, come on, you. You’ve gotta join me. Let’s go.’”
Soberano chimed in with her own memory. “I grew up hearing my grandma say it a lot,” she said. “It’s actually a very formal way of saying ‘Let’s go.’ ‘Tayo na,’ more than anything, means ‘I’m not doing this without you.’”
A Promise Between Them
The phrase takes on weight as the story moves toward its climax. Raissa is leaving the country to go to college, and Jo feels hurt and frightened about a future without her best friend. A portal opens to the magical island of Nakali, a place the two girls have sought for their whole childhoods, guided by stories from Jo’s grandmother.
When Raissa balks at stepping through, Jo has her catchphrase ready. The phrase becomes a code, like “Oklahoma” in Ted Lasso or “Grapefruit” in the horror movie Bring Her Back. In both of those stories, characters use agreed-upon words to demand the truth instead of a comforting lie.
“Tayo na” works the same way, demanding action and commitment.
“Once I say ‘tayo na,’ she knows I’m serious,” H.E.R. says. “You can’t back down from a ‘tayo na.’ It’s almost like an initiation. Like ‘If I say tayo na, you can’t say no.’ It’s our promise with each other.”
Family Space on Set
Both actors said their Filipino heritage helped them with the nuances of the lines and their characters’ relationship. It also gave them a chance to contribute to the script in small ways.
H.E.R. is particularly proud of a jokey little diss where Jo mocks a longstanding bully by calling his beloved car a “cheapney,” a nod to the Filipino jeepney that is all over Manila.
“It was so much fun,” she says. “I just loved how much we were able to be so ourselves. Even though we might have been nervous at times, or shy, or whatever, it just was so organic, especially because we’re both Filipino. We’ve been talking so much about how when you meet another Filipino, immediately you’re like family. […] You relate to each other, and it’s like a safe space. We experienced that recording together.”
Key Facts
- Movie: Forgotten Island — a DreamWorks animated feature
- Phrase: “Tayo na!” — Tagalog for “Let’s go!” or “Get up!”
- Lead voices: Liza Soberano (Raissa), H.E.R. (Jo)
- Writers/directors: Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado
What It Means
The shifting meaning of “Tayo na!” is the movie’s biggest joke that keeps working. It starts as a casual line and ends as a promise. That is the whole story in miniature: two friends who started playing together and ended up promising each other everything.
The actors brought their own family memories to the performance, and the result is warmer than a standard voice-over job. It reads as genuine rather than staged.
Forgotten Island is in theaters now.
See the video the story is built around at Polygon.
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