andrewtislercinephile

Sep 30, 2026

10.0

Wapoosh! DreamWorks' *Forgotten Island* delivers everything I expected: Glorious animation with some really cool anime references, hilarious jokes and physical comedy, strong character bonds and interactions, powerful, tear-jerking emotional scenes, immersive world-building, and an upbeat soundtrack that rivals even the likes of *KPop Demon Hunters*. This movie's story-which is all about the fear of separation between best friends Jo and Raissa-reminds me of my own friendship with my best friend Christopher Kapoun, and how he moved away, but we stayed together as besties even after that moment happened. The Nakali island characters are also really fun and full of personality, although Manananggal and Raww are my favorites. I honestly almost wanted to hate Dave Franco after *Hoppers*, but Raww got me reinvested. And having the movie end with both Manananggal and Batiba redeem themselves by giving back people's items to ensure their memories remain intact really shows that DreamWorks has the guts to pull off the same levels of emotional storytelling Pixar gives us, while at the same time providing a great parallel to Jo's decision to let Raissa attend college in America. Speaking of that ending, it made me cry really hard. Please do not sleep on this movie. It is a true gem to behold!