Jo (voice of H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) in “Forgotten Island.”
DreamWorks/Universal Pictures
Forgotten Island, a new animated adventure from DreamWorks, is getting memorable reviews from Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Oscar-winning singer-songwriter H.E.R. (Judas and the Black Messiah) and Liza Soberano (Lisa Frankenstein) voice the roles of Jo and Raissa, two lifelong friends whose paths in life are about to veer in different directions to attend college. As Jo and Raissa celebrate their last night together, they discover a mystical portal that leads them to the fantastical island of Nakali, which is inhabited by all of the creatures from the stories their Filipino families told them while growing up.
As Jo and Raissa encounter a variety of mythological creatures including Raww (Dave Franco) and The Dreaded Manananggal (Tony winner Lea Salonga), they learn their path home comes with the steep price of losing all of the memories they’ve made together.
Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, Forgotten Island also stars the voices of Jenny Slate (Zootopia 2), Manny Jacinto (Freakier Friday), Jo Koy (Leo), Ronnie Chieng (M3GAN) and Eric Bauza (Coyote vs. Acme).
Forgotten Island plays in preview screenings on Thursday before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. As of Thursday morning, Forgotten Island has earned a 100% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 54 reviews. RT’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
The stellar critics’ score for Forgotten Island on RT marks a new high for Crawford and Mercado, who previously directed the 2022 Best Animated Feature Oscar nominee Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The Shrek franchise spinoff film earned a 95% “fresh” critics’ score on RT based on 196 reviews, as well as a 94% “fresh” Popcornmeter score based on 5,000-plus verified user ratings.
Note: The RT critics’ score for “Forgotten Island” will be updated as more reviews are posted on the site.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Forgotten Island’?
Matt Goldberg is among the top critics on RT to award Forgotten Island a “fresh” critics’ score. Goldberg writes in his RT review summary, “With influences ranging from The Hangover to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the DreamWorks animated feature is admirably ambitious.”
Kristy Puchko of Mashable showers Forgotten Island with praise in her “fresh” RT review summary, writing, “This terrifically enthralling animated adventure is a wild ride that is absolutely not to be missed.”
Nikki Gemmell of The Australian is also a fan of Forgotten Island. Gemmell writes in her RT review summary, “It feels instantly delightful, and that charm is sustained throughout. It’s entertaining, fast-paced, moving, with a lovely energy.”
In his “fresh” review summary of Forgotten Island on RT, Justin Clark of Slant Magazine writes, “The film exuberantly draws from a vast, under-explored ocean of Filipino mythology.”
While he has some reservations about Forgotten Island, Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter still awards the film a “fresh” score on RT, writing, “The convoluted story is told with so much wit, humor, energy and visual invention that it becomes easy to get swept up in the fantastical proceedings.”
David Ehrlich of IndieWire also has issues with the film but still awards it a “fresh” review on RT, writing, “If the plot of Forgotten Island can frequently be too busy in a way that distracts from the purity of its central friendship, the film always holds together because the bond shared between its co-leads is strong enough to withstand a lot more than that.”
Alfonso Duralde of The Film Verdict shares Ehrlich’s sentiments, writing in his “fresh” review summary of Forgotten Island on RT, “There’s a lovely central story about two lifelong best friends, and the movie buries that story in so much plot, mythology, magical creatures, and mini-quests that it dares viewers not to lose the thread.”
Rated PG, Forgotten Island plays in Thursday previews before opening on Friday in theaters nationwide.
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