Is Forgotten Island Worth Watching? Our Honest Review Of The Joyful Film
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Overview
Forgotten Island feels like a return to when animated films were truly special, with something extra layered on top. While Pixar has been slowly going downhill a bit (remember when every single Pixar film hit?), this family movie is joyful, hilarious and will bring many people to tears. It follows best friends Jo (H.E.R) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) as they find themselves stuck in the mysterious world of Nakali. Based on Filipino folklore, the pair encounter different monsters, creatures and animals along the way.
In a sort of mashup of The Hangover and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jo and Raissa can’t remember what happened the night before. Soon, they face a harsh truth: if they don’t return home, they may forget the most important memory of all… their friendship.
Entertainment writers Bernice Corral and Rachel Choy sat down to discuss Forgotten Island, including what made it so memorable (we won’t be forgetting Forgotten Island!), how meaningful it was to see the Philippines portrayed in a positive light, and whether it’s going to be the next big hit.
Rachel Choy: Did you know much about Forgotten Island before going to watch it?
Bernice Corral: When the announcement that Liza Soberano was going to be part of it, I was very excited for that. I’ve been following her for so long, and I knew she had been trying to make it in Hollywood from the Philippines. And then, obviously, seeing so many Filipinos involved like H.E.R, Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon, and Manny Jacinto, I was very excited.
RC: What were your initial thoughts when watching?
BC: I love the animation style! I’m such an animation lover, and it reminded me a lot of SpiderVerse. Also, side note: whenever Southeast Asia is portrayed in any Hollywood film, they put this yellow filter over it to show that it’s a poor country. So to see the Philippines in such a vibrant way, was amazing.
RC: There’s racism to that, with the yellow filter and how SE Asia is portrayed, for sure.
BC: To see a powerful and actual reflection of the Philippines was very heartwarming.
RC: The animation was so cool, and the color scheme as well; the neon and bright colors! It was so saturated. I also loved the mix of 3D animation and back to 2D. And the flashback to cartoons we watched growing up like Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon.
BC: It was so nostalgic.
RC: It honestly was. I was sitting there thinking, am I watching him transform into a Super Saiyan right now? What’s going on! There are also so many Filipino references and the odd Tagalog words or phrases, but there aren’t English subtitles. It’s not dumbed down for the audience. I thought it was really awesome. I can’t speak the language, but I got the gist of those parts. I may have missed out on little things that are Easter eggs just for Filipino people, but I still loved it.
BC: There were still the context clues and the inflections of how lines were delivered. I could understand it, but I agree. I think the voice acting as well was so good and helped to keep those moments universal.
There are also so many Filipino references and the odd Tagalog words or phrases, but there aren’t English subtitles. It’s not dumbed down for the audience.
RC: There’s also the little things that are universal across different cultures. Like when Lola throws her sandal at the neighbor.
BC: It’s called the tsinelas. They released a clip of the party scene, and I’m seeing a lot of the Latin communities being like, oh my God, like we’re cousins with the Philippines. It’s obviously transcending Filipino culture. It’s resonating with the Asian community, but also with every other country that Spain colonized.
RC: I was gonna say, I think we know why. Can we talk about the Jesus picture?
BC: That was one of my favorite parts. As someone who has a painting of the Last Supper hanging in their dining room right now, the use of the Jesus picture itself was so Filipino, but also Jo’s character, where she looks at it and goes, “Sup Jesus”. I feel like it’s such a funny way to portray some Filipinos’ relationships with religion. In the Philippines, Catholicism is so intertwined with our culture, and it’s more part of the culture than actually spiritual. Also loved how the Jesus was in front of the lechon (suckling pig).
RC: I guess because religion came with the colonizers, so it’s a very complicated history. Maybe that’s why it was so cool that the film went into Filipino folklore, which would have been more of the stories that were told before the colonizers came.
BC: I loved it because I don’t actually know much about Filipino folklore aside from specific monsters. They used folklore from different regions. So it’s not just one animal that represents the entire country. I read that Batiba’s folklore is from the Ilocos region, which is where my mum is from. I think it’s also that there are so many subcultures in the Philippines. We’re a whole archipelago, so it’s not just one Filipino story, and they were very self-aware about that. Seeing them do that, along with the other little traits and quirks, was a good way to address that. The Philippines isn’t just one culture.
RC: But aside from the celebration of Filipino culture, it’s also just a really good movie.
BC: Exactly! The themes of friendship and moving abroad can also resonate with a lot of people. And for a lot of people, especially immigrants, it’s about not wanting to forget where you came from. But as time passes by, you can’t remember everything.
RC: Also! It’s a kids’ movie which puts friendship at the centre, and they’re not chasing a man.
BC: They’re chasing each other.
Details
RC: So many movies are always about finding validation from a man.
The themes of friendship and moving abroad can also resonate with a lot of people. And for a lot of people, especially immigrants, it’s about not wanting to forget where you came from.
BC: Not only was it like an exploration of love through friendship, but the flashbacks to Jo and her Lola were so special. I feel like those familial bonds are so important in Filipino culture as well. So it was an exploration of familial love.
RC: I feel like in Asian culture, you have stronger bonds with your grandparents. You’re more likely to have them living with you when you’re growing up, compared to white people.
BC: Yeah, my grandparents took care of me when my parents were at work.
RC: And then on a deeper level, you didn’t have anything like this growing up as a Filipino kid. I had Mulan, which also came with some problematic things, but I still had something.
BC: I would look to Mulan; I would look to Pocahontas and Jasmine because of the brown skin. Even Snow White, because she had black hair. That’s how desperate I was for any representation as a child.
RC: Do you think this film will become important for young Filipino kids?
BC: I hope my goddaughter likes this, because her favorite movie is Frozen and I’m like, girl, no, you gotta get around Forgotten Island. I hope she enjoys it and sees herself in it as well.
RC: The other thing is that the creative team are mostly Filipino.
BC: What I loved about it is they employed a Manila-based animation studio, which I think is so cool, because I feel like the arts aren’t taken seriously in the Philippines in the same way, with like a lot of Asian culture. They’d rather you be a doctor or a lawyer or a dentist. So the fact that they’re supporting the arts in the Philippines makes me really happy. And then the score, the composer is Filipino, and he used all Filipino musicians for the score as well. So BINI and SB19 are P-pop groups in the Philippines, and then Sophia from KATSEYE is Filipino, and H.E.R and Liza did the theme song for the movie as well. It’s Filipino in all aspects, and throughout the project, which I love. It translates so well with the movie because you can tell how much love was put into it, and it also speaks to what happens when you actually tap into the people behind the culture when you’re telling a cultural story.
RC: Yeah, because if you have white people telling a cultural story, they’re basically colonising it, and it happens all the time. That can be, like, in a publication, a book, or in movies or whatever. It’s their version of it, which is not real.
BC: I read the production notes, and Januel and Joel said they wrote the characters based on people in their lives.
RC: The only thing is, I don’t think the trailer does it justice. I hope people get past that and go and watch it. It’s such a good movie. I think it could stand the test of time.
BC: I’m hoping it becomes kind of (not to compare Asian movies, but…) K-Pop Demon Hunters, where the popularity grows through word of mouth.
RC: Yes, and it blows up! This is refreshing. Pixar has had a few flops, so it’s time for DreamWorks to come in. I’m a How To Train Your Dragon truther.
BC: Yes, it’s Forgotten Island and then Shrek 5! Please, everyone, support this film if you want to support Asian culture. If you found yourself at a very Asian time in your life this year, and you actually want to support Asian culture, you’ll watch it, and not just use us for clout.
RC: If you don’t watch Forgotten Island, it means you hate Filipinos. So go watch it. Cameron Diaz wants you to watch it.
BC: She grew up with a lot of Filipinos. Lumpia. Adobo.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Forgotten Island is in theaters now.
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Originally published at www.refinery29.com.