Forgotten Island’s Filmmakers On Turning ‘Scary’ Filipino Folklore Into A Family-Friendly Adventure
There’s a new DreamWorks movie on the 2026 movie schedule, and in this one families will have a chance to dive into Filipino mythology. Forgotten Island comes from the writer/directors behind animated fan-favorite Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, and when CinemaBlend talked to the creatives and the cast behind the new movie, they got honest. One story the movie is based on is famously quite “scary.” But, I love how they turned generational stories into a fantastical family film.
How Filipino Mythology Ended Up In A DreamWorks Movie
Forgotten Island comes from frequent collaborators Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, who connected over their shared connection to Filipino culture. (Crawford’s wife is Filipina and Mercado is Filipino American). During our conversation, they explained how one character, a demon baby named Bungi, was adapted from the country’s folklore to their animated family film. As Mercado told me:
The source material is scarier. It’s like a demon who takes the form of a baby in a forest that cries and lures humans to come save it and then it eats them. So when we pitched to Manny [Jacinto], we started with an old school drawing. It’s a terrifying looking baby in the forest. And he was like, “So Manny, normally a Tiyanak looks like this.’ It’s like a grotesque drawing. And, he was laughing and it broke the ice. But our Tiyanak looks like this. So, we showed him the cute design of this big man baby. So that was kind of our icebreaker with him. And, Manny was awesome at how silly he would get and how much he would play to find that perfect voice. It just cracks me up every time I hear it.
That’s right, Manny Jacinto of The Good Place, Freakier Friday and The Acolyte voices the role of a giant three-eyed demon baby in Forgotten Island. They added about the process of bringing the “demon baby” character into the fold:
Originally he was another Aswang that’s like a laughing cyclops. But, through the character and the story change, especially dealing with the coming-of-age story and getting out of your comfort zone and living life, it’s like, ‘Oh, this demon baby perfectly fits into Joe and Raissa’s overall story of leaving home for the first time. So, we love it when we can line up the mythology with the story.
Forgotten Island follows two best friends, Jo and Raissa, who’ve grown up together in the Philippines hearing stories about an island filled with amazing creatures. On the night before one of them is about to go off to college in America, they discover the forgotten island and all the creatures they grew up with.
From shape-shifters called Aswangs to giant tree-dwellers, a vampire who can separate its upper and lower half called a Manananggal to dwarfs called Duwendes, there was a lot of mythology for the filmmakers to play around with. It all makes for an imaginative fantasy that’s a highlight of the year for the animation medium.
Forgotten Island Star Talks Her Own History With Filipino Folklore
When CinemaBlend also spoke to Filipina actress and the voice behind Raissa, Liza Soberano, she could definitely relate to the characters in Forgotten Island. In her words:
The first time I heard about Filipino folklore, I was probably like four or five. And this was during the time when I would like to visit my grandma who was in a care home at the time. And, she just loved having kids around. We would actually sleep over and every night I remember we would build like these little blanket forts and she would tell us stories, very similar to Jo and Raissa. Stories about the Philippines, her time back home in the Philippines. And she told me about the Manananggal and the Duwende, and all these like mythological creatures.
They weren’t necessarily these creatures you’d want to meet. As she continued:
But, it was a very scary version of these characters that she shared with me. So I grew up in fear of them and it was like a pleasant surprise for me to be reintroduced to these characters through this movie because now I kind of wanna be friends with them as opposed to being in fear [like I was] growing up.
As DreamWorks toes the line between sequels (such as Shrek 5 being on the 2027 release schedule) and great new originals like 2024’s The Wild Robot. It’s awesome (and history-making) to see Forgotten Island’s originality that brings Filipino representation to families! And as someone who’s seen it, not only did it’s story of friendship make me cry, its folklore was a great balance of being scary and fun.
Forgotten Island is filled with Filipino actors like H.E.R., Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon and Jo Koy. It’s certainly an incredible way to pay tribute and introduce wide audiences to one side of Filipino culture You can help it light up the box office against a ton of other releases this Friday, September 25.
