With most school districts having a “Fall Break” from Oct. 12-16, I decided to catch “Forgotten Island” last week – just to be ahead of kid-filled theaters.
Honestly, the thing I enjoyed most of all was the 1990s setting that included plenty of pop culture and entertainment references.
It was also a pretty interesting way to frame Filipino myths, culture, and family dynamics in an easy to understand package.
All in all, the storyline is fairly solid as the movie progresses through loss, grief, friendship and personal growth while maintaining a visually stunning animated film.
Island is an animated fantasy comedy film written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film features the voices of H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Kevin McCann, Riley Crawford, and Lea Salonga.
While the movie clocks in at 109 minutes long, it’s also rated PG for animated sequences of scary action, language, rude humor, thematic elements, some violence and brief tobacco imagery.
In the Philippines during the 1990s, Jo Yuson presents a story to her class about the island of Nakali (short for "Nakalimutan", meaning "forgotten" in Tagalog) and the dreaded Manananggal.
When her classmate Reynaldo (Crawford) mocks her, Jo attacks him and is sent to the principal's office, where she meets Raissa Molina, another classmate who had defended her.
Jo invites Raissa to a sleepover with her grandmother Fatima (Leon), who tells them about her travels to Nakali when she was younger.
The girls become best friends, making matching charm bracelets that represent significant moments in their friendship.
Sadly, Fatima later dies of old age, leaving Jo (H.E.R.) heartbroken.
After graduating high school, Raissa (Soberano) reveals that she is attending Caltech in America, disappointing Jo, who is trying to make ends meet by working at a fast food restaurant.
At Raissa's farewell party, Jo overhears Raissa's mother expressing disapproval over their friendship.
Jo and Raissa sneak out to the beach, where Jo discovers a magical sand dollar that serves as a portal to Nakali.
Despite Raissa's hesitation, they enter together, awakening the next morning with no memory of the previous night.
Raissa discovers half of her head shaved and that she has grown wings belonging to Manang (Salonga) - a Manananggal who attacks them.
They escape with help from Batiba (Slate), a Batibat who offers to send them home in exchange for their bracelets and the memories attached to them, as she perpetually stays in her cave and lives vicariously through the memories of others due to her agoraphobia.
The girls refuse and flee with Raww (Franco), a were-aspin who claims to have hung out with them the previous night and becomes their guide.
At a market, the trio meet Bungi (Jacinto), a Tiyanak who tells them that the "Jewel of the Sea" they seek was stolen by Duwende King Truggle Wuffle (Chieng).
Their search leads them to Prince Mermahn (McCann), a Kataw who claims the sand dollar is in his kingdom.
Feeling excluded, Raww lashes out until Jo reassures him and shares her fear of being abandoned by Raissa.
Following Raww's suggestion, Jo takes them to a Kapre village, where they learn that they had previously saved the villagers from Manang, after which Raissa stole her wings.
Unfortunately, Manang attacks again, separating Bungi from the group and creating more problems for Jo and Raissa.
While it is a little annoying watching animate teenagers trying all the wrong moves before finally choosing the right one, the movie still has its merit and plenty of cute moments that make it worthy of the big screen.
