Posted in: Dreamworks, Movies, Universal | Tagged: forgotten island

Forgotten Island: Behind-The-Scenes First Look Featurette Released

In a new first look featurette for DreamWorks' new animated film, Forgotten Island, it's clear this is a movie about best friends, made by two best friends.

After last year, when we had one original animated film released in theaters, it is so refreshing to see so many new films coming out in 2026, and they all look so different. DreamWorks is coming out with their entry with Forgotten Island. For animation fans, the words "from the directors of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was enough to get them on board. However, there is something else about this movie that makes it special which becomes very apparent in the behind-the-scenes first look featurette which was released.

This is a movie about two best friends, which is being made by two best friends. Writers and directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado found each other while working on Kung Fu Panda 2, and they've been together ever since. You can tell when a directing and writing pair really and truly complement each other well, and it's clear this is the case for Crawford and Mercado. So you know the friendship aspect of Forgotten Island is likely going to feel extremely authentic, but everything about this movie looks extremely promising. There is a "first look" screening for a DreamWorks movie at CinemaCon next month, and let's just say I'll be extremely happy if I get to see this movie in just a couple of weeks.

Forgotten Island: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Your best friendship is worth fighting for.

DreamWorks Animation, the studio that brought you unforgettable bonds between a boy and a dragon in How to Train Your Dragon, an ogre and a donkey in Shrek, and a robot and a gosling in The Wild Robot, now welcomes a dazzling and emotional story about two lifelong best friends who must come together before they drift apart in Forgotten Island.

The new original film is written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and is produced by Academy Award® nominee Mark Swift, the filmmaking team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Grammy and Academy Award® winning supernova H.E.R. and Liza Soberano (Lisa Frankenstein, Alone/Together) star as high school graduates Jo and Raissa, who have been best friends since grade school but are now about to embark on separate life paths.

While celebrating their last night together, Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families.

Some of these figures will become friends, some foes. Joined by well-meaning-but- hapless weredog Raww (Dave Franco) and a small-but-mighty pack of pals, Jo and Raissa must face The Dreaded Manananggal (Tony winning icon Lea Salonga), the most feared creature on the island. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.

The film's all-star voice cast also includes Emmy nominee Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Dying for Sex), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick), BAFTA nominee Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness, Ghostlight), global comedy superstar Jo Koy (Haunted Mansion, Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn) and Emmy winner Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show, M3GAN).

DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island is distributed by Universal Pictures and will be released in theaters on September 25, 2026.

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