“Long ago there was a forgotten island filled with filled with magical creatures beyond your wildest imagination.”
Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado deliver a colorfully animated story that leans heavy on Filipino mythology and culture in their new film, Forgotten Island. I didn’t come to the film with a lot of knowledge of Filipino culture or mythology but really felt like I left with a taste of something new and exciting. As a film critic for over 30 years, there really aren’t a lot of new things that come my way these days. In a way the job leaves you a little bit jaded and more than a little bit cynical. So imagine my enjoyment to see something that really wasn’t like anything else I’ve ever seen. Forgotten Island is a magical journey that you don’t have to really understand in order to enjoy. And yet I left with a little more understanding and a healthy appetite for more. The last thing I’d seen from the co-writers and directors was Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. That film was much more conventional, and while entertaining, it wasn’t half as charming as Forgotten Island.
“Do you wanna be best friends?”
Jo (H.E.R.) is a bit of a tomboy and loves to tell the stories of a magical island that she learned from her cool grandmother, Lola (De Leon). Her grandmother is playful, and the two have a lot of fun together. But sometimes her stories get her carried away and in trouble at school. One of those times got her sent to the principal’s office, where she meets another girl who got in some trouble by being the only other kid to stand up for Jo when the other kids were laughing about her stories. Raissa (Soberano). They laugh about it all while waiting to be yelled at and decide to skip out together. They become close friends and share a bracelet that they adorn with symbols from each of the adventures they have together. To Jo and Raissa, the stories aren’t myths. Lola claims to have been to the magical land of Nakali when she was young. She tells them that the only way to get there is finding a special sand dollar that opens a blue portal to the place.
“You don’t find Forgotten Island. It finds you.”
But young girls grow up and start to have reality intrude on their lives. Raissa is going all the way to America and Cal Tech, where she will leave Jo behind. Raissa is starting to feel as if she must act more responsibly, and Jo is not willing to let go of those adventures that are so real to her. They decide to have one blowout night together before Raissa must catch her plane to college and the real world. Of course, after a rough night of partying Raissa is about to miss her flight, because Jo has found the blue sand dollar and they get whisked away to Nakali. The next morning they wake up in this strange place with no memories about the night before. We’re in a children’s version of The Hangover here, and it’s pretty funny. Jo’s got a huge tattoo, and Raissa now has two wings attached to her shoulders by claws. These are obviously the wings of the evil monster creature Malang (Salonga) that Jo was always imitating in her stories. They have no idea how it happened. Along comes Raww (Franco), who is a kind of weredog. When he gets excited, he makes quick transformations into a boy. He tells them that the girls partied with him all night, and he has pictures to prove it. The problem is that Malang wants her wings back. To the rescue comes a kind of cat-like creature named Batibat (Slate), who collects memories in objects that hold memories of their one-time owners. When she meets Jo and Raissa, she helps, but she’s really got a plan of her own. You see, she wants their memories. The girls are also joined by an enchanting group of amusing creatures and characters, and now the adventures are real, with real consequences.
The film is infused with these wonderful characters that remind one a bit of those encountered in Alice In Wonderland, and in many ways this is that kind of a story, but with a heavy cultural heart. Let me say something about all of that. Recently there has been a debate over films that force DEI or certain social ideas in their message, and some might think that’s what this is. The world is full of that kind of divisiveness, and I hate when I feel like an ideology is being forced on me. Those films have crashed and burned at the box office, and they blame intolerance or bigotry on their failure. What too many people lose sight of is that this diversity isn’t the problem; it’s the forced presentation. Forgotten Island is a prime example of how to do that kind of thing the right way. The cultural aspects are natural and organic. It’s really a story about the relationship of these young girls who grow up to be young women. All of the rest flows naturally from that origin point. This is how you expose an audience to cultural diversity and have them leaving perfectly entertained. It’s a great family film, and both children and adults can’t help but be captivated by it all. Most people love being taken away by some exotic themes and images. We just don’t want the diversity itself to drive our experience. Let it come naturally, and the box office dollars will follow. I hope that this movie is able to prove that point, because I want to see more things created like this. The film also has a ton of energy. I was worried that the running time was long for this kind of a film, but it never lets up. It never slows down. There’s a point in the story where it appears we’ve reached the end, and suddenly there’s 20 more minutes of the movie left to go. Often that comes with a “Make it stop” kind of feeling, but I was delighted to spend another 20 minutes here with these people being told this story. It’ll make you feel like you’re 10 again. Just get your age back before you climb back into your car to go home. A 10-year-old might have trouble reaching the gas pedal.
The music leaves me with some mixed feelings. There is some incredible music here. The score is great, but there are also examples of what I can only describe as Island Rap, and that wasn’t so magical for me. I found it abrasive and the only times I was really pulled out of the fantasy. I guess the young members of the audience won’t have that problem. I’m only saying that I did.
There’s no scolding for who you might be. There’s no heavy hammer banging the morals into your brain. This is certainly very much a part of Mercado’s world, and his love for the material drives it. Not some hatred for the masses who are too evil to “get it”. And that love comes through with every frame. There are many lessons to be learned here, but these two guys trust you to get it if they can captivate you with their story. They do, and it does. This movie gives me hope, and I hope you give it a chance. “BRB.”
