Running Time: 108 minutes
This feature film from Universal Pictures opens exclusively in theaters on September 22nd, 2026.
In recent years, this reviewer has been seeing a lot of children’s features. Actually, the most titles since, well, my own childhood. After receiving an invitation to attend the new animated family film Forgotten Island, I considered bringing my 4-year-old to the show. But due to other commitments, it didn’t work out and I was forced to go it alone. In retrospect, that turned out to be a good thing. This movie is visually impressive and deserves credit for promoting female friendship and Filipino culture. But it is also manic, and contains a few disturbing characters sure to provide nightmare fuel to a large portion of preschoolers in the audience.
The tale begins with a young Josephine ‘Jo’ Yuson (voiced by H.E.R. and Kailey Crawford) in class relating the myth of the monstrous demon Manang (Lea Salonga), who tears apart victims at a magical place called Forgotten Island. Her teacher and other students aren’t impressed, and after Jo retaliates by hitting one of her classmates, she ends up at the school office. There, the protagonist meets new arrival Raissa Molina (Liza Soberano and Kayla Teruel). The two quickly become best friends, getting into trouble and collecting charms during their adventures.
Years later, Raissa gets accepted into Caltech, leaving Jo concerned about being left behind. While arguing, the two discover a magical sand dollar and are transported to the titular locale. Indeed, it is filled with bizarre creatures, and Jo and Raissa find themselves stuck there. A local “weredog” of sorts named Aspin (Dave Franco) tells the ladies they all partied together the night before, and promises to help them find their missing, fantastical sand dollar. But to do that, they meet with several strange beasts, including a memory-eating Batibat (Jenny Slate), three-eyed baby demon Tiyanak (Manny Jacinto), the egotistical Mermahn (Kevin McCann), and others.
The film was co-directed by Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) and has a similar, kinetic visual style to that previous Shrek spin-off follow-up. The camera is constantly flying around, zooming into laughing (and screaming) faces, flying past the characters and panning around for a reverse within the same shot, as well as employing different animation styles to emphasize jokes. It worked quite well in the previous feature, and to a degree it is impressive here. But one wishes that the camera and characters would slow down, both for dramatic moments, and when introducing a new monster and providing background information. Every shot feels hyperactive, and there are sequences late in the picture where the technique hurts the movie rather than helps it.
As for the characters, the early bits introducing young Jo and Raissa building their friendship and getting into trouble are amusing, as well as grooving to 80s and 90s tunes and watching notable old movies. Once they are teens and lost on the island, the story becomes episodic and the humor hit-and-miss. The leads visit a beast, and then another, and another, as they attempt to seek out that sand dollar. Some of the comments and shocked reactions do generate a chuckle. This includes Jo’s reaction to the Duwende, small, puffy monsters who have big eyes, and come across as cute rather than threatening.
Yet, other gags, including several emphasizing the bizarre bodily qualities and functions of various creatures, don’t land nearly as well. The story begins to feel repetitive and derivative. And as the third act approaches, things veer into seriousness as the Manang is shown as a deadly threat. It can, and does, tear its own body in half while pursuing prey, and at one point even uses flames to roast a supporting character to a crisp. The strange jokes that follow about the toasted character’s condition land with a thud. In fact, the tone of the second half of the feature seems off and, as noted, a portion of what occurs onscreen may upset little ones.
There are incredible images and interesting monsters living on this isle, but it’s all presented in a chaotic manner. Additionally, the lengthy running time and rapid-cutting ultimately becomes exhausting. The picture ends with a plea about the power of memories to keep loved ones alive in our hearts even when they’re not around. Yes, it’s a nice message, but the jarring action that surrounds everything reduces the impact. Forgotten Island isn’t forgettable, but adults will find it more of a blur than one would hope for, and young kids may end up frightened by its otherworldly monsters.
