Forgotten Island has joined the 2026 Tokyo International Film Festival Animation Section just days before its theatrical release. The DreamWorks adventure is one of 12 films selected for the festival program, giving Jo and Raissa’s story an international spotlight before it opens September 25.
Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado wrote and directed the movie, with Mark Swift producing. Crawford and Mercado previously worked together on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Forgotten Island brings that energetic approach to a new world inspired by Filipino stories.
A friendship is at the center of the adventure
H.E.R. voices Jo and Liza Soberano voices Raissa, best friends whose lives are starting to move in different directions. When they find a portal to Nakali, a magical world connected to stories from Jo’s family, the trip gives them one last chance to understand what their friendship means.
The way home comes with a painful price. Jo and Raissa may have to give up every memory of their friendship to return. That turns the movie’s fantasy journey into a much more personal question: if their shared history disappears, will the bond between them survive?
Nakali brings Filipino creatures into a DreamWorks world
The trailer fills Nakali with strange landscapes, bright vehicles and creatures pulled from Filipino folklore. Dave Franco voices Raww, while Broadway star Lea Salonga plays the Manananggal. The cast also includes Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy and Ronny Chieng.
The Manananggal is not treated like a background monster. Its arrival changes the danger facing Jo and Raissa and makes the world feel connected to the stories that led them there.
The festival selection arrives at the right moment
The Tokyo International Film Festival announced the Animation Section lineup on September 18. Forgotten Island’s inclusion gives the film a second launch point alongside its wide theatrical opening, especially for audiences interested in how major animation studios are drawing from cultures that have rarely led Hollywood family films.
DreamWorks is still selling the movie as a fast, funny adventure, but the emotional hook is clear. The biggest threat is not only being trapped on the island. It is losing the history that made Jo and Raissa important to each other.
Forgotten Island opens in theaters September 25. Its Tokyo festival selection suggests the movie could reach beyond a standard family release, especially if its friendship story and Filipino influences connect with audiences in different parts of the world.
