9/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars

The memories we make in life can be priceless. Every moment we live shapes who we are, and cherishing those important moments is integral to each of our individual growths. Forgotten Island is a sweet story that tells you that things will never be better if you decide to ignore who you are. You can’t pick and choose which memories to keep, and if you ignore the ones you don’t like you won’t learn from anything. The film is a story about two best friends spending their last day together as they come across the thing they’ve been waiting for since their childhood. With a misdirect in store, the pair spend the majority of the film trying to get back home and in the process uncover some ugly truths. Directors Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford use this film to tell us that our futures will be okay as long as we never lose what brought us to them.

The movie starts with a young Jo, voiced by the wonderful H.E.R., excitedly telling her classmates a story of this secret island her grandmother once visited. It’s a fantastical place filled with creatures, spirits, and memories. The entire class and teacher find her story over the top, except for one student named Raissa. Liza Soberano’s Raissa is a timid student who immediately falls in love with Jo’s flair and storytelling expertise. The two are sent to the principal’s office, and from there are inseparable. The two become lifelong friends and constantly share stories with each other and Jo’s grandmother. Every time a new memory between the two is made, they craft another charm to add to their matching friendship bracelets. One day, before Raissa goes off to college in the United States, Jo demands the two have one last nighttime adventure. Raissa is reluctant, but comes along regardless. On their night out, the two find a magical sand dollar that transports them to the island of Nakali. From there, they party all night only to immediately forget it, spending the film trying to remember what happened, as well as return home.

Right off the bat, Forgotten Island stuns you with its variety of animation. As someone with little to no knowledge of the level of hard work that goes into something like this, I was completely blown away. It’s not even that the film excels in one specific style of animation, it’s how it seems to swap between them so effortlessly. There’s many different types of animation on display here and they mix together so fluidly. There’s some killer transitions into these sections that look hand drawn, and you’re thrown right back into the CG animated world in the most natural way, like nothing even happened. The color in the film is gorgeous as well. Every shot seems so meticulously planned and the vibrancy of color in the world constantly comes through and just floors you. If nothing else, this is a very gorgeous movie.

The plot itself is sentimental and cute. Going in, I thought it was a story about these two soon-to-be separated friends on an adventure, but it quickly transformed into a different beast. The movie concerns itself less with the weight of the situation the two friends are in and more with the idea that these two love each other and just want more time with each other. My only real complaint with the film is that it zooms through some of those plot points. It’s a kid’s movie, so some of it should be fast paced to grab that attention, but sometimes it almost felt like if I blinked I would miss something integral to the story. It was nothing incredibly egregious, I just feel as though in its endeavor to keep the attention of the kids in the theater, it could just as easily lose them completely out of confusion. Otherwise, it was well paced for the most part. It’s a very funny movie so it’s just as quick to keep you engaged with your eyes glued to that screen, and the expert animation absolutely helps.

Ultimately, Forgotten Island proves to be an instant classic among the library of animated films over at Dreamworks. It abandons the usual formula animated kid’s movies follow in favor of a more careful and heartwarming approach to its deep subject matter. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride that connects you to its characters quickly and keeps that connection strong until the end of the movie. It does an incredible job of relating to the audience, saying that it’s okay to be far from the people you love. Crawford and Mercado say that no matter how far away you are from someone, what matters is that you remember. The strength we carry is in our memories, and those memories push us to improve in life and be our best selves. Forgotten Island does well to remember that.

Movie Review: Dreamworks Gives Us a Memorable Journey with "Forgotten Island"