r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 22d ago
Official Discussion Official Discussion - Forgotten Island [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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Forgotten Island
Summary
Two best friends become stranded on the mystical world of Nakali, where their only escape might cost them their shared lifetime of memories.
Director Joel Crawford Januel P. Mercado
Writer Joel Crawford Januel P. Mercado
Cast
- H.E.R. as Jo
- Liza Soberano as Raissa
- Dave Franco as Raww
- Jenny Slate
- Manny Jacinto
- Ronny Chieng
- Dolly De Leon
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Metacritic: 72
VOD / Release In theaters — September 25, 2026
Trailer Official Trailer
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u/The_Throwback_King 22d ago edited 22d ago
Having the credits featuring irl photos of the friends and family of the entire crew (from the actors, directors, writers, to the behind-the-scenes production staff) is one of the coolest ways I’ve ever seen the credits being approached in a film
Really touching way to really prove the power of the film’s themes
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u/ManceRaider 21d ago
Mitchells vs The Machines does the same thing and it works just as well
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u/sanzako4 20d ago
I think it's a really nice way to show the themes of the movie: memories and friendship.
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u/comealongwidme 22d ago edited 22d ago
I really enjoyed this one! I mean yeah, too much is happening at times but the animation was so gorgeous and the PH representation I think was so good as well. The characters I loveeee especially manananggal (played by Lea Salonga no less!), she was such an effective villain (and ofc with Batiba).
Really I'm just a sucker for animated movies that have such an emotional climax and this one really got me regarding friendship and memories. That montage with A Parallel World playing made me cry. The end credits with the crew and their best friends as well 🥹
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u/Klunkey 19d ago
I feel like looking back, there should’ve been more pauses between scenes.
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u/banzski 22d ago
I thought they were gonna do something symbolically clever with the Manananggal, like Jo is the lower half that stays rooted in the Motherland, and Raizza is the top that flies off, i think that woulda been fun playing with the idea a bit more, instead of the rocketship. Like instead of the firecrackers in their bracelets connecting and re-opening the portal, what if it was the two halves of the Manananggal trinkets connecting? Ah well haha.
I appreciate the heart that was put into it. I’m friends with the historical consultant and one of the musicians, so happy for them!
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u/Ayos 21d ago
I thought the symbolism was going to be Raissa was like the vampire demon who flew off with wings and Jo was like the memory demon who stayed stuck, and the vampire demon and memory demon were best friends before too.
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u/Outrageous_Lab_6228 18d ago
I feel that even if it wasn’t explicit, that connection is still very much there. Raissa states at the end that without Jo, she never would have had the courage to go to CalTech, and she probably wouldn’t have had any other friends, which would be a life similar to Batiba.
Batiba also realizes how important memories are in shaping who you are, which is evident in Manang when she gets her memories back and is completely changed. They don’t tell us what the memories are, but given that Jo was about to lose her very important memories a few scenes before, I think Manang represents a future dark path Jo could have taken if she had lost those memories (at least in terms of becoming a completely different person).
I definitely appreciate that the movie didn’t try to hammer this in too hard. I was also expecting the themes to be a lot more heavy-handed, and was expecting to find out that Manang had some tragic backstory where she lost the memories of her best friend or something, that tied into why Batiba won’t go outside.
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u/Orchidilove718 20d ago
I think they did just that. Lol Raissa stole the wings therfore she was the top of the Manananggal. And Jo sacrificed herself to stay on the island and lose all her memories in order to save Raissa. Raissa was soaring literally after stealing the wings. As well as her going to America to go to CalTech. While Jo, like the Manananggal's lower body, stayed grounded and behind. I just saw the movie yesterday and didn't realize this u til I saw your comment.
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u/banzski 20d ago
hey you're right! i guess i was looking for something just a little more overt (like i mentioned the idea of showing it through their manananggal charms connecting maybe), though i suppose it's all a matter of taste in execution. at the end of the day, this is just one random speculative thing haha, and maybe it is better in the way they did it, because of the fact that we're talking about it now. all in all, still gotta give it to the storytellers for such a monumental feat. thanks for pointing it out that they did to it haha
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u/Deceptiveideas 22d ago
I honestly thought they were going to reveal that the demon is deeply connected to the main characters in someway.
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u/joeymello333 21d ago
True. Part of me wanted to know the memory thr demon stole from manananakal. Also I was hoping they’d retrieve the Lola’s stolen memory too.
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u/alexiagrace 19d ago
In Philippine folklore, the manananggal mainly hunts pregnant women’s fetuses or newborn babies. :/ My first thought was maybe she had a memory related to pregnancy/birth that ended in loss, which makes sense would be left out of a kids’ movie.
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u/devenrc 22d ago
That cut to the photo frame of Jesus when Jo embarrasses herself at the party had me cackling like a hyena
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u/inksmudgedhands 21d ago
I lost it at Disappointed Jesus too. I think that was my favorite joke of the movie.
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u/Orchidilove718 20d ago
Me too! 😆 I was like oooo , so Jesus have been lookin at me sideways for my foolishness 😆 🤣
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u/nanaymica 17d ago
me too!!! i see the exact image in tons of houses here hahahhahaa very filipino indeed
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u/trophy_74 21d ago
I didn't find the movie overstimulating, should I get checked for ADHD?
But for real, I think the pacing works because some things in the movie make no sense if you think about it for too long. Sometimes you just gotta turn your brain off, especially if you have a serious or demanding job and it's the end of the week.
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u/Ruthlessrabbd 21d ago
I have ADHD and I found it overstimulating. But the volume in my theater was also so loud that during the karaoke section in the middle of the movie, my ears got fuzzy sounding like I was at a concert
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u/PartyPorpoise 22d ago edited 22d ago
I really liked it. The friendship between Jo and Raissa felt genuine, solid, and supportive. It would’ve been easy to screw that up and make Jo genuinely someone who is dragging Raissa down, and Raissa truly resenting her for it, but fortunately they didn’t make that mistake. The movie wouldn’t work at all if the friendship wasn’t strong. You really see why they love each other and how their friendship has persisted and lifted them both up.
I do agree that some of the side characters were superfluous, but at least they were fun sometimes. And for the type of story it was (friends go to magical world and meet wacky characters) it’s kind of par for the course anyway.
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u/Prowlerbaseball 19d ago
Fr the “who let the dogs out” scene was perfectly emblematic of Jo. Chaotic and random, but also super empathetic and heartfelt. Grounding her friend and knowing exactly when and how to calm her in a crazy moment
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u/applekwisp 20d ago
I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was legit hilarious most of the time. I didn't find it overstimulating that some people are saying. The cringe factor was low for me aside from the freestyle scene. I was a big fan of the contrasting animations styles and the facial reaction animations. I thought the plot wrapped up a bit succinctly but it was a fun ride.
It kind of reminded me of a comedy version of the game 'life is strange' kind of at least.
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u/bobsmith93 20d ago
The freestyle scene came close, but it kinda won me over by the end of it. The one scene that made me cringe though, was Raww smacking himself repeatedly with coconuts until he passed out when trying to remember the previous night at the market. But, still just a small scene in a movie I loved overall
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u/CorruptedMind341 16d ago
the part that made me cringe was Rawww licking his human feet like why 🥲🥲🥲
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u/thevegetexarian 20d ago
I was a manically laughing out loud through most of the movie, especially the first act.
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u/Greypilgram 20d ago
I went into this completely blind. Had never heard of the move, had seen zero trailers. My 9 year old daughter started begging to go see it when she realized it was out and said that it was supposed to be the best dreamworks movie ever. I completely discounted that and if anything was upset that someone had obviously been watching YouTube again and getting advertised to. Still, she’s a good Kid, mommy wanted some mommy time, and I took her to see it.
Holy crap, it might very well be the best Dreamworks movie ever! Had a blast with my 9 year old, had a blast watching the movie, and am simply amazed that such a good movie somehow completely flew under the radar.
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u/Jaredlong 13d ago
Similar story, went in completely blind dragged by my kid. I don't know how this isn't getting better word of mouth, this is absolutely the best Dreamworks movie to date. This is an entirely new level of storytelling and animation for them that could easily win Best Animated Feature if nominated.
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u/Easy_Action_1380 22d ago
I do like that we don't learn what Batiba took from Manang because that simply isn't our or anyone else's business
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u/alexiagrace 19d ago
I think it’s scary enough to know that losing your memory/sense of self can impact you so deeply that you become a monster.
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u/Bwoody1994 22d ago
When her dad calls and tells her he isn’t sending for them broke me.
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u/Orchidilove718 20d ago
And the fact she never told Raissa but made the best of their time together. I'm glad Raissa got to see that memory because she was horrible to Jo. I get it had to be hard being the "responsible" one, but we learn she's just as wild if not more.
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u/Klunkey 19d ago edited 6d ago
There’s this lingering resentment that’s shown in the montage when Raissa refuses to fist bump Jo because of the trouble she puts them into, and I love that they call back to that here. Raissa didn’t consider Jo’s motivations and how conflicted she was when hiding the sand dollar, and just assumes she’s like Batiba. Usually, I would give stuff like that a smirk and an eyeroll (“You are the monster” type shit), but it works here because while there’s connections, it’s fundamentally untrue, it’s just Raissa taking out her frustration on Jo. And later reveals a hidden strength of Jo and simultaneously, a weakness of Raissa.
Man I need to watch it again, I think I’ve been too hard on it due to the pacing, but the pacing itself is inherent with the Filipino culture.
Edit: OUR Filipino culture
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u/Middle-Platypus6942 17d ago
How was Raissa horrible to Jo? The only bad thing Raissa ever did to Jo was lie about why she was going to Caltech. And Jo proved that Raissa was right to lie to her by hiding the portal key.
Then the ending has Raissa apologize and say she took Jo for granted, and Im just wondering when exactly she took Jo for granted.
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u/ProfPeanut 20d ago
The moment Jo said her dad was in the US and would get her soon, I actually assumed something even worse and thought "wow they're going there??"
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u/CorruptedMind341 16d ago
Yeah. As someone who was witnessed a grandma receive a call about her grandkid's dad getting in an accident and having to tell the poor kid the news... boy was I worried that they'd go there.
Oh the grandma in my situation was my mom, and the kid was my nephew. And Jo looks so uncannily similar to my niece too. SO THIS SCENE WAS DREADFUL FOR ME!!! A "he's not getting us" was a relief to be honest. Still sad but if they pulled a dead dad there, i might have cried 10 times instead of 9. LOL
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u/TheRage469 21d ago
So, with the revelation about Batiba....I wonder what Jo's Lola gave up to get home.
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u/KadenzJade 20d ago
Mu friend theorized Fatima was friends with Manang and she was the one that sacrificed to let Fatime go back
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u/TheRage469 20d ago
Hmmm maybe. But then why would Lola describe Manang as some evil nightmarish vampire if they'd been friends and Manang was the one to give up that memory?
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u/KadenzJade 20d ago
Then what if Fatima did forget something and it was Manang's friendship, maybe Manang took it upon herself to let Fatima keep her Nakali experience in exchange of their friendship, so she doesn't have to worry about her. And that Manang also chose to give something to forget about herself (maybe the heartbreak), and that led to her going Sisa crazy for not being complete
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u/Clair_Osbcurious 21d ago
I came to this thread looking for the answer. I feel like there are some loose threads in the story. It's meant to be something meaningful, not just a random memory...
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u/Superb-Laugh-9453 21d ago
Not everything has to be explained. This is a movie, not a miniseries.
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u/2mock2turtle 20d ago
Reminds me of how Jon Chu had to come out and say "Fiyero left Elphaba a note to meet at the end of Wicked: For Good," because the audience can't infer anything anymore.
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u/nooncrawler 22d ago
Loved it! The animation was gorgeous and the voice acting was superb. Manang and Batiba were both terrifying in their own ways. I always enjoy learning about new cultures this way, so I feel it's a must watch.
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u/the_gaymer_girl 17d ago
Manang is legitimately the most horrifying eldritch villain Dreamworks has ever made. Possibly one of the most terrifying in any animated film.
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u/CorruptedMind341 16d ago
Real. The Batiba being a cat in this depiction and her purring that aggressively when she smelled their memories. Creeeeepy.
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u/Few_Age_571 22d ago
I really enjoyed this, but I think some of the accusations of quirk chungus humour and sensory overload are very valid lol
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u/CardiologistMain7237 22d ago
Also, did the trailers and marketing outright lie to us?
I distinctly remember that many trailers mentioned "the longer we stay in the island, the more we will forget". That is categoraly untrue. It's more like The Hangover
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u/SuddenlyThirsty 20d ago
Yeah the marketing totally lied to us all. It’s. A plot point that doesn’t exist in the movie and it’s heavily put in all the trailers.
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u/obvious-but-profound 22d ago
I totally remember that from the trailer. So that’s not the case in the movie? I still wanna see this with my kids either way but damn yeah that is weird
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u/CardiologistMain7237 22d ago
It's a good film, but it feels weird that they really tries to hammer that in the marketing.
It's more of a The Hangover meets Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind kinda deal
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u/starrymahogany 20d ago
Yeah idk if that line got cut or if it was just recontextualized in another scene, but I thought it was gonna be a race to beat the clock for them to not forget, but really the only timetable they were worrying about was if she was gonna miss her flight.
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u/2mock2turtle 20d ago
Wouldn't be the first time there's been misleading marketing. I remember someone put together a supercut of all the Marvel trailer shots that never appeared in their respective movies a few years ago. Frankly this one isn't even that egregious.
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u/Conflict_NZ 20d ago
Yes and they also lied about who the memory demon was.
I actually like that as it still had the basic premise but was unexpected.
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u/theonewhoknack 22d ago
Wait why the fuck is it called forgotten Island then?
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u/LightningLad2029 22d ago
It's a very anime inspired movie which if you aren't used to will definitely throw some people off to say the least lol.
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u/PiFlavoredPie 22d ago
Just watched it and surprisingly loved it. I’m a fan of screwball humor when it’s done well (and I think it is here). I can see how this kind of humor can easily steer into lolsorandom territory but I think the defining factor tends to be the care that goes into it, and in this movie, there’s SO MUCH detail jampacked into all of those high energy moments. Definitely lends itself to rewatching and catching new stuff each time.
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u/ps4invancouver 22d ago
I was actually pleasantly surprised at the relative lack of chungus humor... I expected more
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u/isval17 22d ago
I love how the movie Predator always helps makes friendships across all genders and all nationalities
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u/ChanceVance 22d ago
I loved how these 2 friends in this universe of a kids film bonded over a movie where an alien hunter rips the spine out of human beings. That's probably what they thought the Manananggal would do to them though.
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u/CancelNo5632 20d ago
I grew up hearing stories related to our myths during siesta time & I read related literature as hobby.
There's a scene in the film where Jo used her finger to point and I gasped a little. How dare she used her fingers to point?! In the mythical realm too! I read that we point with our lips because we don't want to accidentally point at invisible spirits or mythical beings. For them it's very offensive. They could curse you and give you a fever you can't sweat out.
The dwendes riding white chickens was funny. When you offended the dwende and they cursed you, the shaman/witch doctor will tell you to sacrifice a chicken with pure white feathers.
I have this theory that the crystal looking thing Batiba stole from Manang is like a transformation stone. It was said that mananangals have stone like thing they pass to the next mananangal/their heir. They can't die/retire unless they pass this stone to someone else. She's so cranky all the time. Maybe she wants to retire or transform to her human form but can't because her stone was stolen. That lady needs a day off as a mananggal.
Interesting that Lea Salonga's character is called "Manang". Some people in the Philippine theater scene calls Lea "Manang" because it's an honorific meaning "elder sister" in the Visayan language.
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u/PiFlavoredPie 22d ago
Not a slight against the movie at all and I understand why they ended it where they did, but man do I wish they had a credits sequence where adult Jo & Raissa got to rock out with the Nakali crew one more time (a la Shrek)
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u/bobsmith93 20d ago
Maybe it'll release in an extra wide vhs case with a karaoke dance party after credits scene, a la Shrek. Had that when I was a kid. It stuck out on the shelf though lol
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u/CloakedNoir 22d ago edited 22d ago
There's a lot to like about this one. Heartfelt, beautiful, funnier than I expected it to be, and a great love letter to a culture that doesn't get a lot of representation in mainstream western media. But lord was it a bit too frantic for my taste. No scene had room to breathe, a new character was introduced every 5 minutes, they were clearly terrified of kids getting bored. It was like watching a season of a phenomenal television series smashed into a pretty good movie.
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u/TnT54321 22d ago
I just watched it, and I felt the same way, especially with how frantic it felt. At times, the story seemed a bit scattered, but overall, I really liked the movie. Growing up Filipino without much representation, and now having kids of my own, it was really refreshing to see so many cultural references and that kind of representation on screen.
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u/joeymello333 21d ago
I know what you mean. Overall I enjoyed it but I thought they missed an opportunity to write an original song for the 2 best friends to help promote and elevate the film. Look at what the song “Golden” did for kpop demon hunters last year. Plus singing songs are integral to Filipino culture.
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u/TheCleanRhino 21d ago
They did write one although it wasn’t used in the main part of the movie, just the credits
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u/MrDrDetective 21d ago
Manananggal is easily one of the coolest villains I’ve seen in any movie (animated or not) in a while, I was locked in any time she was on screen!
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u/Orchidilove718 20d ago
She scares the hell outta me with all that separating her top of body from the bottom. 😆 But she definitely served her purpose.
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u/Sp1derX 20d ago
I really really really loved this movie. It felt cool to see the expression of a culture I wasn't privy to before. I loved the use of mixed animation between the 3D and 2D segments and the reaction emphasis bubbles. It feels like animation techniques are finally catching up with how the internet generations communicate, packing in more information in the frame than we've been given before.
I took my 5 and 4 yos to see it and they stayed in their seat the whole time! My daughter normally asks to go to the restroom during scary scenes (like the tornado in Wicked 2) but she was apparently too into this one. My son was glued to his seat and said he was scared of Manang but was brave and watched. I honestly can't believe we didn't go to the bathroom once, we were all hooked!
My only criticism is that I think the parallel between Manang and Jo coulda been stronger. It was obvious Jo felt empathy towards her when she was told how Manang became so malicious. I think they could have explored that link just a little more to really emphasize the movie's themes. To me, Manang seemed like she was angry because of something she perceived as lost or stolen from her, and her returning memory brought her closure in a satisfying way. It being represented as a pendant on her heart implies, to me, that she regained the memory of a lost love (a partner, friend, or child perhaps) whose loss she wanted to forget due to the pain of it, and ended up forgetting the person entirely, perhaps even leaving behind a faint enough memory to know she lost something close to her but not quite who or how.
I'm really jealous kids are getting movies that take wild swings like this. It feels like we're in a children's animation renaissance that Disney is outside of. I can't wait to see more movies taking swings like this one!
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u/gizmo1492 22d ago
The graduation celebration was so authentic to Filipino culture imo. My favorite part was the graduation tarpulin
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u/Bored_So_Entertain 22d ago
The part where the parents presented a picture slideshow / powerpoint of their daughter, not understanding how embarrassing it was for her is so real. My parents did the exact same thing to me haha
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u/3gumamela 21d ago
I didn't think it was embarrassing when my dad made it for me when I graduated. If anything I thought it was actually sweet and made me miss them more since I went away for college.
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u/Bored_So_Entertain 21d ago
I still thought it was sweet and appreciated them for it. But they wrote dialogue of me saying stuff to go with the photos like “Omg mom, that’s not funny!” which was stuff I’d never say, so I was dying of embarrassment at the time. But it’s a fond memory more than a humiliating one for sure
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u/MarkCuckerberged 22d ago edited 22d ago
I cringed so hard about Raissa's extended family jesting her about marrying Tom Cruise because she's going to California to study at Caltech. Some will laugh it off as a cringe joke but I cannot express how utterly prevalent that kind of thinking is within Filipinos because we're so disgustingly anti-intellectual they expect a kid prodigy studying in America to marry... someone famous. Smart shaming at it's finest.
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u/Neveraththesmith 19d ago
As a Mexican American the similarities gave me authentic second hand embarrassment.
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u/forever87 22d ago edited 22d ago
for me, it was Tita pointing to Jo exactly where she needs to go
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u/blitzbom 21d ago
I absolutely lost it at the lip pointing. One of my best friends is half Filipino and his mom does it.
He said he can't date a Filipino woman if she does it cause it reminds him too much of his mom.
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u/inksmudgedhands 21d ago
We do the same thing in the Puerto Rican culture. We even call it, "Puerto Rican pointing." I had no idea until now that other cultures did it. Maybe we both picked it up from Spain.
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u/Sisiwakanamaru r/movies Contributor 21d ago
I just watched this movie, easily one of the best movies from DreamWorks animation.
What I really like about this movie is that the filmmakers spent approximately 20 minutes to convince us why the friendship between Jo and Raissa worth to remember and root for, I think that what made the climax really worked.
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u/SteMelMan 22d ago
I really enjoyed the movie. The animation is great. I especially liked the flying sequences and that so many characters got to fly.
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u/callmekanga 21d ago
God, wasn't the flying great? I saw it in 3D and I felt like I was soaring too!
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u/Daydream_machine 22d ago
It’s a great movie overall, but did anyone else feel like the side characters were mostly useless? They were definitely going with a “found family” aspect with the mythological creatures gradually joining them, but the Merman and Megamind Baby especially felt barely relevant until the plot needed them.
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u/The_Throwback_King 22d ago
One of the best aspects of The Last Wish was the balanced approach to the side characters, whether focal or comic relief
Feels like this film lost the handling in that regard. Now bad, per se, none got annoying for me but certainly overstuffed
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u/haganbmj 21d ago
I felt that they were a detriment to the movie and it got better for a while when they were unceremoniously left behind.
The pack visits Bungi, gets told about Truffle - which leads to Mermahn - then both Bungi and Mermahn have almost nothing to contribute to the core themes to the movie and Truffle is an extraneous antagonist. The entire sequence of events is a waste of time both for the characters and the audience - something Raissa even comments on.
I think Bungi was supposed to represent Jo's fear of change (leaving your routine + family) and Mermahn was supposed to be Jo and Raww's insecurities about their own self worth - but neither actually aids in conveying that because they're so shallow.
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u/Orchidilove718 20d ago
Wow I didn't even put that together. I think you're right.
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u/wallysmith127 21d ago
I largely agree that their introduction in the second act dragged. But I felt it helped the payoffs feel earned in the stellar third act.
Knowing Filipinos, I understand why they'd want to cram everything in, because maybe this is their one shot to see their culture on the big screen. The heavy-handed cultural references feels forgivable from that lens, because they wanted to make sure the titos and titas get their money's worth for the one movie they see all year.
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u/billyskurp 22d ago
as a filipino, this is an absolute win. still can’t believe dreamworks backed this movie. I had fun with it, and seeing the folklore creatures I feared as a kid animated is so cool to see. the mananangal used to creep me the fuck out as a kid. I remember watching a shitty low budget movie about it back when I lived in the philippines and it was a winged creature cut in half that would sneak into people’s chimneys and eat pregnant women’s babies. like wtf right? Shout out to everyone that was involved in the making of this film.
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u/forever87 22d ago
best part was seeing Jo & Raissa re create the Manananggal in the play, see Manang be so menacing (great depiction), and J&R continue to fangirl. i didn't expect it but Manang is my dark horse fav character of the movie
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u/OKC2023champs 22d ago
Overall I really liked this film but there’s a ton of issues I had.
1- it didn’t stick with one tone. The villian is one of the best I’ve ever seen in an animated film. Scary. Body horror. Then we spend 10 minutes with an adult baby character. And an army of little babies. I understand having adult jokes in movies for kids. But this felt like baby jokes in a more mature kids film.
2- the pacing. Never had time to breathe and cramed way too many jokes. Cut 15 minutes. (Preferably the baby army) Let the jokes breathe and there’s a genuine 9/10 film here.
Overall I really enjoyed it still
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u/forever87 22d ago
the Philippines is so dense with personalities, which is exactly why I attribute this movie to be so "over active". from world class tropics to over populated urban city - the daily life moves so fast. the sensory overload is too much, but for a modern "kids movie" set in the Philippines - i feel it was necessary. it is currently up there (for me at least) with kpopdemonhunters and the spider-verse movies. i hope forgotten island finds its audience
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u/TheImperfectGamer 21d ago
Good movie but a bit distracted and way too fast and bloated. Could have made space in the movie by writing out the merman and the little mushroom people. I think we didn’t need more than the trio, so the big baby could have stayed with his mother.
It feels like there’s two plots going on about the general island and then the memory plot. I thought it might be revealed the demon lady perhaps knew Jo’s grandma and maybe she had to forget her to leave the island, or at least something to tie her into the memory plot. I loved every scene that the demon lady was in, but by the end of the movie she felt a bit shoehorned in.
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u/itchypoopsarethebest 21d ago
I loved merman but I agree the duendes were unnecessary
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u/TheImperfectGamer 21d ago
I thought he was funny but ultimately kinda pointless to the plot. He mainly exists to lie to the girls and get exposed via the truth potion, which could be subbed for raww, and to be a hunky merman.
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u/itchypoopsarethebest 21d ago
Yeah I agree with you there but honestly you’re hitting on something that I think made me love the movie more. There were so many things that weren’t necessary per se but dammit they were fun and I had the best time watching this. Is it a little chaotic and breakneck at times? Absolutely. Is there maybe too much going on? Sure. But fuck it I enjoyed the ride.
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u/NakedGoose 20d ago
This movie is unabashedly itself. And I love it dearly for that.
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u/bobsmith93 20d ago
Very well put. That's also something I've noticed about Filipinos in general, and it seems that shines through in the movie
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u/julxan 17d ago
I just got back from taking my son to see Forgotten Island and I can easily say it's in my top 5 movies of the year, maybe top 2. I was honestly dreading seeing it, I saw the trailer in front of Spiderman this summer and it looked pretty annoying, so I was very surprised that it was one of the funniest yet most emotional movies I've seen in recent years. I'm not ashamed to admit I misted up once or twice.
But one thing I noticed about Forgotten Island is that the discourse online about this movie is a lot...weirder than other movies that have come out recently. It could be a vocal minority, but it feels like people are reacting intensely to its trailers (which to be fair, have been pretty bad) without seeing the movie itself. Everyone I've talked to irl who has seen it agrees it was at the very least really good, if not one of the best of the year. So this is my attempt to convince naysayers who are writing the movie off based on the marketing alone, as someone who was also turned off by it at first.
* "The characters look too quirk chungus/Tumblr" - This is one of the loudest criticisms I've seen, and to be honest I was also worried about this going in. I'm happy to report this is far from the case: Jo and Raiza(?) can definitely be cringey, but in a very endearing way that makes them and their friendship feel real. I'd compare it more to Booksmart than the "adorkableness" of modern Disney movies like Wish or Turning Red (which I also liked, but that cringe was sometimes too much for me). The side characters also work for the most part despite their more limited screen time, and I thought they were very clever representations of the girls' mindsets and friendship at different stages.
* "I'm tired of the art style" - This confuses me because I swear a lot of these people were also complaining about standard CG animation a few years ago but it's whatever. Art is subjective so your mileage may vary, but I really liked the sketchy and more graphic look. It feels like a natural evolution of the Puss in Boots 2 art style (which makes sense since it's the same directors) while capitalizing on the vibrancy without getting too overwhelming. I think it's easily the best-looking animated movie that's come out since Across the Spiderverse. A Filipino friend of mine mentioned it references a lot of '90s Filipino graphic design with its color palette, which is a cool touch.
* "It looks like it will tire me out" - Kpop DH went triple-platinum in my house. I get what being tired from a kids movie is like, trust me, and that's also part of why I was worried about this one. Forgotten does move at a pretty fast clip, but I was surprised by how engaged I was with each twist and turn. I was even more shocked that my son was locked into the movie the whole time: he got fidgety with Toy Story, Minions, and Mario Galaxy, but not this one. Speaking of, Forgotten does not feel like a sugar rush in the same way Galaxy did, which left me with a huge headache (I think I had to lie down after it lol). If kids movies are going to be this fast from now on, I appreciate that Forgotten's pacing was intentional - plus, when it does slow down, it's to deliver a huge emotional punch to the gut, and it works.
* "It looks woke" - I don't know what to tell you if this is a criticism, but if it matters, this is a movie about a beautifully realized friendship. I'm sure some people will map queerness onto it, but as far as I could tell, the text itself does not veer in this direction. Even Raiza's shaved head has a very funny explanation I won't spoil.
* "I don't think I'll enjoy it if I'm not Filipino" - So you wouldn't watch Mulan because it's Chinese? Or Your Name because it's Japanese? Filipinos will definitely enjoy extra layers of cultural references and nods, but as a non-Filipino it never got in the way of my enjoyment. If anything, I think it's cool they're focusing on creatures a lot of people have never heard of, especially if it gave us one of the coolest villains in recent memory. Also, now I'm craving lumpia.
* "The marketing was bad" - This I agree with. I feel like most people either think the marketing was poor or nonexistent, and I don't know what is up with Universal's animation marketing lately. It almost feels like they wanted to abandon this one like Ruby Gillman, which is a shame because Forgotten is leaps and bounds better than it. I don't think it's fair to let a fantastic movie like this sink because a team detached from the film crew didn't do their job.
It's a huge bummer that this movie is not doing well at the box office because it's genuinely brilliant, fun, and full of so much heart, which I can't say about a lot of movies nowadays. It's been a strong year for originals but Forgotten Island may very well come out on top. I understand being put off by initial impressions - again, they did NOT do a good job selling audiences on it - but you really are missing out not seeing this on a big screen. It will definitely be one that people see on streaming and go "Why did I not see this in a theater?"
Go watch Forgotten Island before it leaves theaters!
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u/nonsenseword37 22d ago
What a fever dream of a movie (meant in the best way)
It wasn’t a perfect 10/10, but it was a fun ride! And my goodness the Manang was terrifying
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u/Able_Advertising_371 22d ago
Dreamworks animation really pushes themselves with some of their movies like this, it was beautiful
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u/Memphisrexjr 22d ago
Highly recommended for anyone that likes K-POP Demon Hunters or Spider-Man Spiderverse movies. There is a lot of laugh out loud outrageous moments along with some tear ups. It's heartfelt with emotions of friendships forming and ending due to life changes.
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u/LadyKarizake 21d ago
I was disappointed the nipple ring guy didn't show up for a post-credits scene.
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u/sp4cecrypt1d 19d ago
I was expecting Raww to have been a human stuck on Forgotten Island, as if he traveled there but then had no important memory to trade to go home. But then he actually was just a weredog lol
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u/turnipstrings 19d ago
I was thinking about why they chose a dog. Some aswangs can apparently turn into dogs but it still didn’t make sense. Maybe asong gubat representation?
But then I realized that when you go to mountainous areas or beach towns, you will see a lot of dogs who are literally like tour guides in their own right. So hell yeah Raww #asosasyon
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u/the_trees_bees 22d ago edited 21d ago
I can't get over Raissa being like "I'm gonna steal her wings" and actually going through with it.
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u/Orchidilove718 20d ago
Right! I was both shocked and kinda proud of her 😆 it was all her idea too. Nobody would've seen that coming.
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u/kev971 20d ago
Just got out of the film. Full disclosure, I'm a 47 year old man and I love animated movies. The spiderverse movies being two of my favorites.
I really felt like this film could have been quieter. What I mean by that is every character and scene (save for like the last 10 minutes) felt like it was dialed up to 11 and then the director came by and turned it up to 20.
The animation was gorgeous and I liked the two main characters-but man I felt like those fairies who drank the caffeine for like 90% of the film. Like drinking 8 Red Bulls with a cotton candy chaser.
I ultimately liked the film but felt like once we got to the charm bracelet we could have really leaned into some quieter moments.
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u/NeverSeenItPodcast 19d ago
Agreed. I really enjoyed it overall but this was ADHD on steroids. The first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes made me cry though lol
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u/cpsam123 22d ago
Really great animation and voice acting but damn, it was just a complete sensory overload. No time to breathe unfortunately.
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u/No_Unit_526 22d ago edited 21d ago
The movie just moves at a swift pace, like it's made by/for people with low attention span. There's a lot going on which intensifies the beautiful, saturated colors. Try to catch it in Dolby if you can.
I plan on taking shrooms for my next watch
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u/Important-Wallaby-13 21d ago edited 21d ago
I just saw the movie and it's the first film this year to have me go out and buy a ticket. I think the last movie I watched was Dune.
I'm incredibly happy with how the movie turned out. I loved the animation and score overall and ofc, the story hits home. I wish a lot more people watch this movie, you can really feel that the heart is there. I have one or two things I'd like to change if I could, but I think they're trying to balance the global appeal and accuracy and it having a PG rating. I'm just grateful we got this movie. I hope Dreamworks profit from this movie as I'm really hoping for...possibly more. Manang was a nightmare fuel and when Rissa and Jo opened that chestbox, that definitely qualifies for a legit jumpscare I would genuinely watch more on Manang and even just the Nakali world in general.
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u/ROBtimusPrime1995 22d ago
Gorgeous animation and very fun, but too hyperactive for its own good and filled with unnecessary characters that pad the runtime.
Really wished I loved this more, and found that when they were in the human world was actually the strongest part.
The voice cast killed it.
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u/SillyGuy_87 22d ago edited 22d ago
Yeah, I love the first act, just watching the friendship between the girls develop as they grow.
But the movie loses me once they get to the island.
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u/Sugawahsugawah 22d ago
Too many montages and somehow the story seems padded to meet the runtime they wanted.
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u/forever87 22d ago
when they were in the human world was actually the strongest part
as i told most of my friends (i watched the advance screening last Sunday), i overall rated the movie 8/10, but i couldn't deny the opening act was 10/10, and the ending was 9+/10. my emotions were on full throttle between jo & raissa; and Lola was a force. i really want to know what memory she left. and the surprising character Manang. Gosh i love/hate that we were left open ended with what memory was stolen. 10/10 modern interpretation of one of Phillipines fav folklore creatures - absolutely love how much Jo & Raissa were fangirling.
too hyperactive for its own good
basically essential to Filipinos.
this movie hit me right in the heart thanks to my parents and loving the country my fam is from. the depiction of Tita pointing direction was perfect to follow. the movie is not for everybody, but friendship, "betrayal", and memories are timeless. can't wait to give the movie a second shot in 3D
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u/PiFlavoredPie 22d ago
Personally don’t think of them as unnecessary so much as secondary. I don’t think this is that unusual for animated movies. There’s a fair amount of movies where protagonist goes on an adventure and meets new friends along the way - Finding Nemo comes to mind.
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u/Klunkey 21d ago edited 21d ago
As much as I think that the quick pacing hinders the film, there's a ton of fantastic shots that Crawford and Mercado directed that other directors would've not bothered to have animated. Like I want them to do more! Not just Puss in Boots and Forgotten Island stuff.
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u/Koloshow 22d ago
That chase sequence was such a blast! It felt so much like a video game segment to me. This was incredible, 10/10!
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u/Klunkey 21d ago edited 10d ago
This is copied from my Letterboxd review, but still, really glad I watched this, especially being Filipino and all.
I wish I loved this film. Like I like it, but I really wanted to LOVE this film, you know? Don’t get me wrong, the third act has some of the best setpieces and voice acting I’ve ever seen and heard for a DreamWorks film; with H.E.R. and especially Liza Soberano delivering. The whole film looks absolutely beautiful, like a combination of a movie shot by David Tattersall and Emmanuelle Lubeski. Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, just from two movies, have proven themselves to have that special sauce because even if the writing is obvious and wonky, they have a fantastic sense of mise en scene, a sense of how long a shot should be, which shots should be used, the colours to enhance each scene that sets them apart from every other 3d animated movie directors working today (except for obviously, the Spider-Verse directors). But I would argue that they work far, far better as directors than they do as writers.
I think, nearly throughout this whole movie, they really wear their references on their sleeves, whether it would be from movies, music, or Filipino culture in general, and it’s awesome to see. But it feels like they’re just puking out their ideas rather than articulating them in a way that doesn’t feel extraneous from the main themes of their story. So the story with the Kapre, and their whole escapades and the backstabbing twists between Jo, Raissa, Raww, and Batiba don’t have enough time to sit. Bungi and Merman feel like characters that could easily be cut. It says a lot that this is the longest DreamWorks animated movie to date, and yet, it suffers from pacing issues. The ending still hits, though, as Jo and Raissa do have to go their separate ways despite them meeting from time to time.
Everything aside, I feel like this movie makes me respect Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado even more as directors, despite my harsh criticisms. It’s still far better direction wise than Toy Story 5.
On a final note. I would love them to take on a video game property that utilizes their maximalist sensibilities, like Psychonauts or Hi-Fi Rush. That would be awesome!
EDIT: Drastically changed my opinion on this, such a fantastic family film!
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u/Sugawahsugawah 21d ago
"Puking out their ideas." Yes. Seems very "let's put this, this, this, this..." like ticking a checklist without care.
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u/Orchidilove718 20d ago
It kinda fits somehow tho with the chaos that is Jo and Raissa's friendship. Lol A lot goin on that doesn't give you a lot of room to be like what? Huh? Lol
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u/Ruthlessrabbd 21d ago
Yes I wholeheartedly agree with most of what you're saying (not Filipino so I can't chime in on that aspect). I found Bungy and Merman entertaining honestly but I feel like they didn't need to be on the full journey really.
But the pace was lightning fast, to the movie's detriment imo. The first act of them being on the island I honestly found grating and kind of just too much stimulation. Rawww ended up being fine just way too much to start out. And having him and Bungy as the exposition guys was... A choice.
I still enjoyed it though!
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u/itchypoopsarethebest 21d ago
This was really fucking good. Also bravo to whoever designed the she demon, she was absolutely terrifying.
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u/Hold_the_Relish 22d ago
I wonder what memory Jo's lola gave up
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u/forever87 22d ago
i don't want to say it, but if i had to guess, it would've been Jo's Lolo. I'm glad the movie didn't dive in that direction, but i could easily imagine Jo asking Lola about her grandPa, and mysteriously, Lola shuns the question. it would be right on par with kids asking adults a question, and adults "not ready" to answer. to further expand, Lola gave it her all to raise Jo, so it'll always be open what defining moment Fatiba sent the sand dollar to her
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u/PiFlavoredPie 21d ago
I choose to believe that Lola’s life was so rich and eventful that whatever memory she paid was only a sliver of a dense life well lived.
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u/3gumamela 21d ago
It would be a memory from the Lola's youth. Probably 1930s or maybe even during WWII which can be traumatic.
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u/Mr_Wh0ever 22d ago
It's a good movie. Familiar plot beats, solid character designs, hyperactive animation.The 1st and 2nd acts work better than the 3rd. Some characters are less developed than others. But I did like that there were two villains who wanted different things from the main characters. It's a fun matinee watch, 7/10.
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u/FutureMixture1039 22d ago
Tayo na!
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u/Daydream_machine 22d ago
Oh is that what they were saying? I kept thinking it was “Dayona” and got confused when Googling 😅
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u/ProfPeanut 20d ago edited 18d ago
Wonderful film, one of Dreamworks' best. If it doesn't get its accolades now, it'll go the way of Megamind and get them later, I feel
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u/ChanceVance 22d ago
Shout out to Sophia from Katseye for her rendition of 'Never Tear Us Apart'.
Outside of the confines of a girl group, she could show off what an astounding singer she is.
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u/No_Yard_7331 21d ago
I love it!!! A little more practice on the pronunciation of Tagalog terms, didn’t understand the tiyanak until i saw the baby demon. But it’s still a 12/10 for me, crying from the beginning! The Lola moments were so relatable!!!
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u/2mock2turtle 20d ago
I'm genuinely surprised how much I liked this. In the words of Nicole Kidman, "we come to AMC theaters to laugh, to cry, to care," and I did all three with this one. Of then ten animated movies I've seen this year that were actually new for 2026, I think it's a shoo-in for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Granted, I'm taking into account the Chainsaw Man and Ne Zha 2 snubs last year and assuming that All You Need is Kill and Labyrinth won't be nominated, although even if they do I think Forgotten Island stands a better chance with voters.
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u/Klunkey 19d ago edited 19d ago
I just absolutely adored the third act, from the retaining of Jo and Raissa’s memories, to the reveal and argument between Jo and Raissa, to Jo’s sacrifice and then Raissa coming back to save her. It’s genuinely THE best stuff I’ve ever seen in a DreamWorks movie. Like give Liza Soberano an award, holy crap.
I know the memory chase is obviously amazing, but I want to talk about the argument scene in particular. The argument scene is so well done, as it plays out like a classic third-act fallout, but the history we’ve witnessed between Jo and Raissa before it gives it SO much more nuance than just picking somebody to be the wrong person. Some might side with Jo, some might side with Raissa, and I appreciate how the movie never judges us for picking either person. We see them just fall into their worst tendencies; Raissa’s is to think of the worst of other people, while Jo’s is to think the worst of herself, and let herself wither away, and we see how the memories serve as ultimate power.
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u/wisewhiz 22d ago
I'm Filipino-American so I just had to take my kids to see an early screening on Sunday afternoon. We loved it! It was great seeing the representation and some of the cultural references had me laughing hard (like pointing with your lips!) The animation was beautiful. I expected the film to go a bit deeper like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Wild Robot did, but this stayed pretty surface level, mostly going from gag to gag. It was funny, but could have been more.
Overall I give it an 8/10. Ate some great lumpia afterwards.
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u/Unfair-Emotion-1408 22d ago
I have to disagree. I think its 2nd to puss in boots when it comes to the deeper meaning. Manang is a great metaphor for change into adulthood. It's always gonna be there but when you accept it and remember who you are as a person you'll make it out just fine.
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u/ShepardCom 21d ago
This movie is gorgeous. The animation styles and switch ups are amazing and I loved seeing the silly ass reactions to everything that was happening against the more serious moments.
Probably could have cut out one 'sidekick' character and had the movie be basically the same, because the MEAT of this story is carried by Jo and Raissa's relationship and what that actually means. A Good story with Great chemistry overall.
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u/ssmoomix 20d ago
Absolutely loved this movie. I've already seen it twice and plan to take as many of my friends and family as will want to go. The colors were so beautiful and the energy was like getting injected with joy straight into my veins. All the characters were fun and it really felt like a rollercoaster ride through cultural tales that I never knew about. The two besties were charming gremlins and I was really invested in their friendship. I definitely teared up at the end as well.
It really felt like there was a lot of passion that went into this and wish people get out and spread the word. I'd love to see another comeback success story like Coyote vs ACME. I need more bright, enthusiastic, confident, and original movies like this. If the team that worked on this is here reading it, thank you for making my Bday weekend special. I will be right back to watch again soon.
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u/ICUMF1962 22d ago
I loved it. Yes it’s a bit too hyper at times but I enjoyed learning some stuff about Filipino mythology. And I loved Raww. But I def cried when Raissa tries to get kid Jo to retain her memory of them meeting. Felt on par with Miguel trying to get Mama Coco to remember Hector or Riley breaking down in front of her parents in the first Inside Out.
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u/coolman6787 20d ago
As a Filipino-American, I came into this being very worried about how the end result would turn out.
The trailers seemingly took the loudest, most obnoxious parts in the movie and condensed them all-in- one. So it basically distilled the worst parts of it - which is certainly a choice from a marketing standpoint.
And as someone who already has a lot of complex feelings about the Philippines and our culture, I didn’t want this to be “cringe” or just a poor film in general considering how few (Hollywood) films depict us as leads.
But I found those moments to be either too brief or negligible to matter in the longrun, and found the story overall - to be very strong! Grew very attached to the characters, and of course, the animation was beautiful.
TBH I came in ready to hate on it, but came away pleasantly surprised, and a bit more prideful about my roots.
We need more pinoy media to break into the mainstream!! This just makes me want MORE…
See some more live-action projects from us too.
But for now - Forgotten Island is a great start (-in, hopefully, what becomes the FIRST of many like it).
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u/chairagionetu 22d ago
What I liked: gorgeous animation, beautiful depiction of friendship between the girls, interesting antagonists, some truly scary horror moments for a children's film, pretty satisfying conclusion, the humor sometimes was a hit!
What I didn't like: way too many secondary characters competing for attention, the emotional moments don't really have their time to shine, some of the montages were unnecessary (for example the one starting from the bracelets' charms when Batiba is taking it from Jo), the humour sometimes was a miss
I grew to like the overwhelming feeling of the island but I still think there are things that could have been edited out of the film to make it better!
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u/turnipstrings 19d ago
It was wonderful to see Filipino culture immortalized through animation in a way it had never been, at least in this scale. Growing up and having watched a lot of Western cartoons, it made me emotional realizing that the new generation of kids and more to come can look back at this fragment of media and be reminded of our roots. It was also very emotional for me as I saw my best friend and me in Jo and Raissa.
Constructively speaking, I feel like it could have been a stronger storyline overall. It didn’t necessarily feel flat or too fast paced, there was just something else I can’t put a finger on.
But still a great movie. My dad calls it “Biringan” in reference to a place claimed by some locals of Samar to be inhabited by engkantos, very much like Nakali. In that regard, I just want to know why Jo accepted food from Batiba because it is a common understanding that if you take food from elementals, they will no longer bring you back to the real world.
🤣
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u/Long-Ad3842 21d ago
ngl the first half of the movie felt like it was made to keep kids brainrotted tiktok mind's attention. the first half genuinely just felt like jingling keys for kids but it was still not as bad as that second Mario movie.
The second half though... oh boy that was actually so fucking great. With how much I didn't like the first half, I was so surprised how much I enjoyed the rest of the movie. It got so deep and emotional too and struck me in a way that I was absolutely not prepared for.
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u/Superb-Laugh-9453 21d ago
The main characters were kids in the first half. So it makes sense.
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u/coffeetalkcafe 22d ago
I guess we are in an era where we have animated chaotic movies. Hoppers and now this. I really enjoyed this film but somehow it was too much overload that you can't sit back and relax. It even hurt my eyes a bit. Also, the characters Merman and the baby were not really needed. But overall, great voice acting, great culture presentstion. A solid 7.5/10
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u/gamesrgreat 20d ago
Loved this movie. It has a lot of heart, lots of crazy cool visuals, it’s funny, and the manananggal was sooo badass. Very hyperactive movie but I had a great time and it made sure my wife didn’t fall asleep 😅
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u/MarkCuckerberged 22d ago
I enjoyed it. As a Filipino, it's about the best representation of our culture the West can do for now because it's flopping in my home country as Doomsday fever is making my people watch Endgame Encore in droves. I also think the movie is pure sensory overload and the pacing is just rough, like I would assume 30 minutes was cut from this film. Solid voice acting and the animation is stellar as always. The marketing stupidly misrepresented the film expecting to have depth like The Last Wish when in reality it's more in line with The Emperor's New Groove.
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u/niles_deerqueer 19d ago edited 19d ago
Loved it but it’s not perfect by any means. The animation was incredible, loved the music, loved the rush, and absolutely adored Jo and Raissa’s relationship. However, I didn’t care much for the side characters. Raww was such a focus of the marketing, I thought it was going to be the three of them, but they added more and more side characters and I think it really took away from Raww’s story about wanting to find his pack. We don’t even know why he was working for Batiba. This kind of thing felt like it was handled better in Puss in Boots and the Last wish because a lot more focus was given to Perrito. I feel like Raww really didn’t live up to his potential even though I loved his design.
Also, feel like some of the content was a bit too weird? I don’t know, Dreamworks always has some strange fetishy jokes that make it a bit awkward. Like, THE PISS JOKES WITH RAWW. I also wish the scary demon lady was the main antagonistic force and she had the ability to eat memories rather than Batiba, as I feel like she was so much less intimidating. Jo is lucky she’s a nice person cuz she took it way too far.
I also wish they focused a but more on the emotional conflict between Jo and Raissa as there are hints of it throughout but I think we needed even more rather than cramming as many wacky shenanigans as possible into this cocaine fueled acid trip. Still love the movie and the concept of a drunk night they can’t remember and have to piece together is AMAZING, but I don’t think it quite lived up to its full potential.
8/10?
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u/Calling-Jambalaya861 19d ago
Manananggal prey on pregnant women and babies. Adding "stealing memories" would be too much of a stretch from their folklore.
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u/Necessary_Runner 21d ago
Really good movie, near absolutely perfect, and its just a shame marketing hindered it. I don't think many people knew it came out and if they did the trailers except for that last trailer a couple of weeks ago that gave more of the premise. Hopefully it gets more attention as the weeks/months go by.
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u/whytheforest 19d ago
Just saw it and absolutely loved it - huge Spider-Verse and KPOP DH fan so I really appreciated the animation and variances they went for. My daughter and her friends (9 years old) also adored it. I think it really works for kids and adults extremely well and I'm hoping there's enough WOM to get it at least some success - or a streaming hit at least
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u/Awkward_Syrup8415 14d ago
We want new IP not sequels and reboots
We want talented directors that put story first
We want varying animation styles that dont all look like they came out of a Pixar processor.
We want positive messages of hope
Meanwhile, this flops and Toy Story 5 goes on to make a billion dollar.
Tell me without telling me that people really DONT want original.
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u/sean_psc 22d ago
I appreciated the restraint in the climax of not telling us what the memory Manang had lost was (or how exactly any of that happened). Better left to the imagination.
Probably too many comic side characters, but I liked this a lot.
I wasn't aware that H.E.R. was part Filipina, which then made me wonder if Dave Franco and Jenny Slate had Filipino heritage (they do not).
The central friendship works better than many examples of this dynamic because Raissa, even if she's the more restrained and bookish one, is shown to be at least a bit wild, which makes it a lot easier to buy that she would be so close with Jo.