“Forgotten Island” is written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, the same team behind “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” This film stars H.E.R. (Yes Day, The Color Purple), Liza Soberano (My Ex and Whys, Lisa Frankenstein), Dave Franco (Together, Neighbors), Jenny Slate (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Manny Jacinto (The Acolyte, The Good Place), Dolly de Leon (History of Ha, Verdict), Jo Koy (Easter Sunday, The Tiger’s Apprentice), Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians, The Daily Show), Kevin McCann (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Dog Man) and Lea Salonga (Mulan, Aladdin). This film is about a best friend duo who find themselves stranded on the island of Nakali. With time not on their side, they have to find a way back home, all the while keeping in mind they could lose the very memories they have built up over the years.

I had high expectations for “Forgotten Island” going into it. While DreamWorks has its fair share of hits and misses, the studio can sometimes hit a bullseye with their efforts. One bullseye in particular came in 2022, with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” The film released the same day as 20th Century Studios’ “Avatar: The Way of Water.” While “Avatar” wound up making significantly more money, “Puss in Boots” was the much better movie. I had polar opposite experiences with both films. The bar was high for “Avatar: The Way of Water,” the latest film from directing legend James Cameron. For the record, the film failed that high bar. On the other hand, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” made me go, “Are we really doing this?” After that fine-at-best 2011 cash grab?

Yes. Yes we were.

Part of what made “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” so great was the crystal clear, fast-paced, ludicrous, knockout of a vision from its directing team, Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado. These two were able to get not just good, but masterclass performances out of the film’s stacked voicecast in addition to unleashing some of the most mind-blowing sequences I have watched in an animated film. Not to mention, it was a clever story with all kinds of emotions. Naturally, I was excited for whatever the heck they did next.

Let’s start off with the bad news. “Forgotten Island” is not as good as “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” But I have a couple bits of good news. First off, the film is brilliant and you should see it. It does not matter how old you are. I showed “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” to my mom recently, who does not care for animated films, but she was entertained by it and I am sure even she would be delighted by this latest movie. Second, “Forgotten Island” is more than likely going to get a lot of replay value from me. One of my slight peeves about this movie is that everything moves so fast that it is almost hard to keep up. But that is also what makes the experience of watching this fun. If I were watching this at 7 years old, I would be watching this over and over again for entertainment value, much to the possible annoyance of my parents. But as I potentially give my parents a headache from watching this film incessantly, part of me thinks that I will pick up something new with nearly each viewing. Much like “The Last Wish,” this film is so fast-paced to the point where I may have missed a joke or two. Possibly ten. There is a lot to digest, but it is not like I had to take everything in during the first sitting. The dialogue is snappy, the action is rambunctious, the characters are loud, and the animation is flashy.

The movie gets the most out of its voice cast. Yes, it is in certain ways, star-studded, which can be a question mark for me. Even if I like the stars, I hope that they can deliver something that goes beyond what they would give in a live-action performance. Thankfully, that is the case. Dave Franco as Raww is a standout in this particular regard. He comes off like an upbeat dad trying to motivate their children at any given moment.

I love how much DreamWorks is playing around with different animation styles. I am not going to pretend the variety always leads to perfection, but between “The Bad Guys,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “Dog Man,” and now this movie, I admire the range on display. I am glad to say the animation style in “Forgotten Island” is spectacular. The film puts a lot of emphasis on blue and pink. Those are the colors of the best friends’ bracelets, plus there are quite a few blue and pink creatures our heroes run into along the way. Some standouts include Bungi (Jacinto), a baby demon, as well as King Truffle Wuffle (Chieng), whose army may be cute, but will not come off as cuddly should you acknowledge their adorableness to their face.

“Forgotten Island” is a fantastic story about friendship, especially considering how beautifully it showcases the connection between Jo and Raissa. Not all of DreamWorks’ films have aged well for me. I recently rewatched “Madagascar” during a rerelease. Despite how many times I watched it as a kid, I found myself questioning core aspects of the film that never crossed my mind when I was 7 years old. The biggest question on my mind is how the heck Alex and Marty were even friends. I did not feel any chemistry between them. That is not the case with Jo and Raissa. If I watched this movie at 7 years old, chances are I would enjoy watching these two on screen as friends, but the film does a great job at showcasing the two’s complications that have come as a result of being friends. It shows that their relationship, no matter how much they root for each other, is not perfect. They have some occasional patches that they either ignore or work through. There are times where one person is taking their life in a direction that does not match the other, thus affecting their bond. Maybe I would not pick up those complications at the age of 7, but give it a decade or two, I might.

This film serves as a solid reminder of what it means to be sentimental. Getting to live life each and every day is a blessing, and one of the amazing things about being human is being able to recognize that we can do, possess, or witness things that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. “Forgotten Island” is an incredible encapsulation of what it means to be human. After seeing this and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” the directing team behind both movies should be allowed as much creative control as one can possibly give them. Please go watch this movie.

In the end, “Forgotten Island” is gorgeous, funny, and chaotic. This is a fantastic film for families. It is another win for DreamWorks, in addition to two of their best minds. I am not Filipino, but culturally speaking, I can see this film becoming significant for people who are of that descent. Even with my missed connection, I found myself hooked by this movie. It is a rollercoaster ride that throws so much at you that it is almost impossible to take everything in. But that is not a bad thing, because I look forward to potentially taking those things in during future viewings, partially because this first viewing left me massively entertained. I remember my review for another DreamWorks film, “Dog Man,” and I had similar things to say about it in terms of the pace and presentation, but the material presented in that pace did not hit me in the way that “Forgotten Island” did. “Dog Man” is probably not going to have any replay value, but the same cannot be said for “Forgotten Island.” I am going to give “Forgotten Island” an 8/10.

“Forgotten Island” is now playing in theaters. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! If you like this review, I have another one coming soon in video form. Be sure to look forward to the upcoming episode of Scene Before’s original series, Movie Requests, featuring comedian Joe Gatto! He will suggest a film for me to watch, and it will be my job to report my thoughts on said movie! The episode will be available to watch Tuesday October 13th! The video will be available to watch here on Flicknerd.com, but if you want to know the fastest way to watch it, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification bell!

Also, be sure to check out the previous episode of Movie Requests, which features “Ahsoka” star Rosario Dawson! She asked me to review the Ridley Scott movie “Legend.” Watch the video to see what I thought about it!

My next review is going to be for “Primetime.” Stay tuned! Also coming soon, I will be sharing my thoughts on “The Weight” and “Digger.” If you want to see these reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Forgotten Island?” What did you think about it? Or, since we are on the topic, have you seen “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish?” Isn’t it awesome? You know it is. Tell me how awesome you think it is down below. Scene Before is your click to the flicks!