If you want better age appropriateness
Choose Project Hail Mary. It scores 4.8 vs 3.1 for age appropriateness, with a 4.3 overall score.
Forgotten Island Movie Review
Content guidance
Best suited to ages 8+ because Manang’s body-splitting design, intense chases, memory-stealing horror, mild language, rude humor, and brief tobacco imagery may frighten younger children.
Official rating
PG
Bottom Line
Choose it for dazzling animation, Filipino folklore, big laughs, and a heartfelt friendship story. Skip it if hyperactive pacing, crowded side characters, or genuinely scary PG imagery are likely to overwhelm you or younger kids.
Best for
Best for older kids, teens, families comfortable with a harder PG, animation fans, and viewers drawn to Filipino folklore, fast comedy, and emotionally sincere friendship stories.
Not for
Less suited to very young or sensitive children and to viewers who dislike hyperactive pacing, crowded plots, rapid visual changes, or frequent pop-culture jokes.
Verdict
Forgotten Island is at its best when its dazzling mixed-media animation and Filipino folklore serve Jo and Raissa’s deeply felt friendship. The voice cast, cultural detail, humor, and memory theme give the adventure warmth and a distinctive identity, and the final stretch lands emotionally for many viewers. The tradeoff is density: characters, side quests, jokes, music cues, and visual ideas arrive so quickly that the middle can feel cluttered, hard to follow, or exhausting. Its PG rating also carries real bite, with Manang’s frightening design and chases likely too intense for some younger children. For viewers comfortable with that pace and edge, the creativity and heart outweigh the messiness.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
51 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.028 (55%)
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Positive 3.5-4.413 (25%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.49 (18%)
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Negative 1.5-2.41 (2%)
Pros highlights
View all 41 pros-
The dense visual details, fast jokes, and emotional payoff make repeat viewing especially appealing to those who connect with its style.
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The overall critical response in this set is very enthusiastic, with multiple critics placing it among the year’s strongest animated films despite recurring pacing complaints.
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The two lead voices are consistently praised for making Jo and Raissa likable, distinct, and emotionally credible through both comedy and conflict.
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Manila and Nakali are both packed with texture, color, and culturally specific detail, with environments that feel designed rather than merely filled.
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Animation is the clearest consensus strength, blending polished 3D work with anime, manga, and 2D flourishes in a way that feels unusually inventive and alive.
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Filipino culture is woven into the setting, language, food, music, family life, and mythology rather than used as decoration, making the film feel specific and welcoming at the same time.
Cons highlights
View all 10 cons-
Several reactions argue the trailers undersell the finished film, while a few also push back on superlative marketing claims; overall, the campaign does not fully capture the movie’s strengths.
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Pacing is the most repeated weakness: the movie moves at breakneck speed, piles on characters and jokes, and often leaves little breathing room even when that energy is exciting.
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The missing-memory structure is clever but can become difficult to follow as side quests, lore, and rapid exposition accumulate, especially through the middle.
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Jo and Raissa are generally well realized, but many side characters get less room to grow; the crowded creature roster often feels more colorful than fully developed.
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The blend of horror, slapstick, sentiment, and manic comedy is bold but uneven; some enjoy the contrast while others find the shifts jarring or exhausting.
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The PG label comes with real caveats: older kids and teens are a better fit than very young or sensitive viewers because the villain and darker imagery can be intense.
Cast & Creators
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JoH.E.R. gives Jo a playful, unruly energy while still making her fear of being left behind feel vulnerable and sincere.
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RawwDave Franco’s Raww is one of the most discussed performances: usually praised for comic timing, energy, and vulnerability, though a few find the voice or character grating.
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BatibaJenny Slate gives Batiba a memorable mix of sweetness, menace, and personality, with several responses highlighting her as a strong supporting voice.
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MermahnKevin McCann’s vain Mermahn is a consistent comic standout, with his smug delivery and self-absorbed performance repeatedly earning scene-stealing praise.
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Director/WriterJanuel Mercado’s direction is praised for marrying Filipino cultural specificity with energetic visual storytelling and a heartfelt friendship story.
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Director/WriterJoel Crawford’s direction is praised for combining emotional sincerity with bold animated invention, even when the pace becomes crowded.
View all 51 feature scores and cast & creators
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Movies, this product is above average in CGI quality, sexual content level, originality, near average in soundtrack quality, character development, below average in scares, pacing, marketing accuracy.
Comparison summary
51 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher37 (73%)
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Same as average within 0.3 pts9 (18%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower5 (10%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGI quality | 5.0 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
| sexual content level | 5.0 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
| originality | 4.9 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
| cultural representation | 4.9 | 3.6 | +1.3 |
| animation quality | 4.9 | 3.7 | +1.3 |
| family friendliness | 4.0 | 2.5 | +1.5 |
| romance quality | 5.0 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
| rewatch value | 5.0 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better humor
Choose Crime 101. It scores 4.8 vs 4.2 for humor, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better plot clarity
Choose Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. It scores 5.0 vs 2.6 for plot clarity, with a 4.5 overall score.
If you want better pacing
Choose The Furious. It scores 4.7 vs 2.5 for pacing, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
KPop Demon Hunters
- Similar: cultural representation Its Filipino cultural focus is compared with how KPop Demon Hunters foregrounded Korean culture.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- Similar: animation style The animation is described as strongly reminiscent of the directors’ earlier stylized DreamWorks film.
Spirited Away
- Similar: memory, identity, and folklore The memory-and-identity premise is compared with Spirited Away, while the Filipino identity keeps this film distinct.
FAQ
Is Forgotten Island appropriate for young children?
It is rated PG, but the darker monster imagery and intense chases make it a better fit for roughly age 8 and up, depending on sensitivity.
Is Forgotten Island scary?
Yes. Manang is repeatedly described as genuinely frightening, with a body that separates at the waist, menacing chases, and other creepy folklore imagery.
What is the movie’s biggest strength?
The strongest consensus is its inventive animation, followed closely by the believable friendship between Jo and Raissa and the depth of its Filipino cultural detail.
Do you need to know Filipino folklore to follow it?
No. The story provides enough context for newcomers, although the fast pace and large number of creatures can make some lore harder to absorb.
Is the movie funny?
Usually, yes. Many responses praise the absurd creature comedy and rapid visual gags, though some find the juvenile or nonstop humor tiring.
Does the ending work?
For many viewers the finale is moving and satisfying, but others feel the resolution is rushed, overly neat, or not fully earned.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Zach Pope
- Review score
- 4.3
YouTube - Reel James
- Review score
- 4.3
Article Reviews
dcfilmdom.com
Forgotten Island is a megaton blast of color, vibrancy, and spectacle, and a celebration of Filipino culture and folklore like I've never...
- Review score
- 4.9
aisleseat.com
Exercise your consumer right to opt out
- Review score
- 4.2
rogerebert.com
A raucous folktale filled with unique characters and situations, from the team behind "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
- Review score
- 4.9
toledoblade.com
Of all the magical portals that transport you to another world, Forgotten Island may have the cutest. It’s not a brick tunnel like Spirited...
- Review score
- 4.8
joblo.com
Forgotten Island is a jaw-dropping, high-energy mythological road trip packed with heart, Philippine folklore, and stunning animation.
- Review score
- 5.0
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