DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island Is the Animated Film Nobody Saw Coming — And It Might Just Break Your Heart

If you thought DreamWorks had nothing left to surprise you with after Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, think again. On March 25, 2026, the studio dropped the first trailer for Forgotten Island — an original animated film that’s already generating serious buzz, not just for its stunning visuals, but for its emotional core that hits closer to home than most animated features dare to go.

The story follows two lifelong best friends, Jo and Raissa, who are suddenly transported to a mystical island called Nakali — a magical world rooted in Philippine mythology.The catch? The longer they remain on the island, their memories of the outside world, including their friendship itself, are slowly erased. Hollywood.com It’s basically every adult’s worst nightmare wrapped in a gorgeous animated adventure.

DreamWorks: Everything You Need to Know

The Story — Friendship, Folklore, and a Race Against Memory

In the 1990s Philippines, childhood best friends Jo and Raissa promise to stay close forever. But as they graduate high school, Raissa prepares to move to the United States at her parents’ urging, while Jo tries desperately to convince her to stay. Wikipedia Their final night together takes a wildly unexpected turn.

The two stumble upon a strange portal that transports them to the island of Nakali, packed with mythological creatures pulled straight from Filipino folklore. IndieWire And here’s the brutal twist: when they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa must race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever. Animation World Network

It’s emotionally devastating in the best way. The trailer even features the iconic Simple Minds song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” — and yes, the choice is perfect.

The Voice Cast — Absolutely Stacked

Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist H.E.R. voices Jo, with Liza Soberano as Raissa. The supporting cast includes Dave Franco as weredog Raww, Tony Award winner Lea Salonga as the terrifying Manananggal, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Amielynn Abellera. Bleeding Cool

H.E.R. — real name Gabi Wilson — is making her voice acting debut here, and she’s spoken openly about how personal this project is. She said, “I literally grew up on these stories. I get to share a piece of my childhood with the world.” Liza Soberano added that having Filipino culture showcased by a major studio in such an accurate yet universally relatable way is incredibly exciting.

Why This Film Is a Big Deal

This is DreamWorks Animation‘s 50th animated feature film — a landmark milestone for the studio that brought us Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Wild Robot. And it’s doing something genuinely fresh: this is the first DreamWorks film not to be a sequel to an existing property since Home in 2015. Dreamworks Animation Wiki

Directors Crawford and Mercado first met working on Kung Fu Panda 2, and the film is directly inspired by their own friendship and the fear that friendships fade when life pulls people in different directions. Variety That authenticity shows. Setting it in the pre-smartphone 1990s — where a Polaroid pack held just 12 precious shots — makes the stakes around memory and moments feel genuinely weighty.

The animation style also pushes boundaries, building on the hand-drawn, painterly textures pioneered in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish while incorporating cinematographic techniques like wide lenses and light leaks tied to the film’s themes of nostalgia and memory.

For all the latest updates on Forgotten Island and other major animated releases, check out our entertainment and movie news coverage on Technosports. You can also follow our upcoming film releases and OTT tracker to stay ahead of every drop.

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