DreamWorks hid – Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado returned to Annecy to debut new footage for Forgotten Island, an ‘90s memory adventure starring Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano). In a conversation that ranged from Filipino folklore to animation styles, the directors als
By the time the Annecy audience settled in for a look at Forgotten Island, DreamWorks’ directing duo Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado had already been through the pressure cooker of making a movie that takes risks in more than one way.
They’d returned to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this year after leaving in awe with 2022’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. This time, they weren’t just watching from the crowd. They debuted exclusive new footage of their ‘90s nostalgia throwback. and then sat down afterward with Collider’s Steve Weintraub for a conversation that turned into a behind-the-scenes tour of how the film was built—and why it includes a surprising crossover.
Forgotten Island is set around Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano). BFFs who discover a portal on their last night together. It whisks them to a whimsical island called Nakali. Escape comes with a brutal trade: to get off, they have to give up every memory from their friendship. With the help of a hapless weredog. Raww (Dave Franco). and new pals. Jo and Raissa race to find a way off the island without sacrificing the memories that define them.
The directors framed the film as the next step after they’d pushed boundaries with Puss in Boots. Crawford recalled how. going back to 2020. after finishing The Croods: A New Age. he and Mercado began kicking around the idea of Forgotten Island—specifically to tell a story based on Filipino mythology. They later stepped away when they took on Puss in Boots and directed that. Crawford pointed to how Puss in Boots. including its painterly style and the character of Wolf (Wagner Moura). helped DreamWorks explore themes of life and even death—Wolf described as death incarnate and “pretty scary.” He said the studio’s trust mattered. because Forgotten Island exists “because Puss in Boots existed.”.
They also talked about the challenge of finding the right emotional balance for an original story. Originals, Crawford said, are tough to start and even tougher to complete. But the duo emphasized they weren’t aiming for a one-note comedy—though they’d set out to create “a big adventure comedy. ” they knew it would be a nuanced ride. not just levity.
What stood out in the way the conversation unfolded was how much Forgotten Island is built from contrasts: ‘90s nostalgia paired with memory as a threat, tender friendship paired with nightmare-fuel creatures, and familiar genre beats paired with visual reinvention.
That theme of reinvention came through when they were asked how animation style becomes story. Mercado said they’re “maximalists. ” and when it came to the film’s look. the plan was to pour in different influences—traditional CG performances with subtle acting like what DreamWorks is known for. pushed anime moments rendered in 3D. and 2D elements including classic ‘90s anime. Mercado also stressed that anime isn’t one uniform language, noting it can vary widely in style.
Crawford tied those visual shifts directly to memory. Raww retelling moments sees himself like Goku in Dragon Ball Z. going “Super Saiyan.” Mercado added that it’s a desire to belong—a pack. friends. connection—translated into animation. They also described other retelling styles. including a “narcissistic. handsome merman” that might look like Sailor Moon. and a giant demon baby inspired by an anime called Crayon Shin-chan. with rounded lines and a soft. naive tone.
The ‘90s references didn’t stop at anime. They also acknowledged a plot parallel to The Hangover. specifically the searching question—“What happened last night?”—mirrored through the characters trying to piece together what they did and what they lost. Mercado said the answer is always magic. while Crawford linked the idea to the fear at the root of Jo and Raissa’s story: when you grow apart. the other friend will forget you. He also pointed to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as an inspiration. describing how the film explores memory disappearing even as someone tries to reach for it.
For fans fixated on what they’re actually going to see, the directors also dug into the folklore at the center of the movie’s two antagonists.
One villain is a Manananggal—described as a demon vampire from Filipino folklore. The Manananggal has a variant that splits in half. and Mercado said it’s “one of the most popular and iconic ones” in that tradition. He also made a point of its uniqueness. saying he hadn’t seen a character like it in a major animated release from a studio.
The second antagonist is Batiba. Mercado described Batiba as looking like a giant Totoro—fluffy. catlike—and said the vampire represents the end of the spectrum where something looks purely evil. while Batiba sits on the other end as a witch obsessed with the power of memories. Crawford added that Batiba is derived from another mythological thing called the Batibat, though the filmmakers took some liberties. He also explained the creature’s threat: the original Batibat preys on victims’ nightmares. and because their story is built around memories. they made their version prey on memories.
Even the music choices carried that sense of intention. During the conversation, Weintraub asked about a montage early in the film where the girls grow up—something the directors described as designed to move the story along without wasted frames.
Crawford said that they began writing the story six years ago with INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart.” He described the song as thematically right for the friendship. with the lyrics and vibe representing the bond between Jo and Raissa. He also said they had to convince story artists because it wasn’t the conventional pop-feel people might expect in a first-act montage. Mercado called the premise “very mundane. ” before Crawford turned back to the montage’s purpose: to establish that the girls are “two puzzle pieces” who each become who they are in the present because of who they were together.
Then came the moment the conversation circled back to the film’s unexpected pop-culture detour: Predator.
Crawford initially referred to the “iconic handshake” when asked about how they pulled off a live-action clip of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie. Weintraub pushed specifically on Predator, and Crawford and Mercado confirmed they did it for Predator as well. Crawford said it wasn’t easy to get through legal and everything, but they built the choice around meaning.
Their reasoning was simple in emotional terms and specific in storytelling terms. Crawford said they wanted an emotional symbol for the power of the girls’ friendships. and thought it would be cool if Jo and Raissa were clasping hands with “just as much machismo” as Carl Weathers and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film. tied to the pact of their friendship. He also said there was an added feeling in it for people who were “probably too young to see Predator” when it first came out—how formative movies shape sensibilities later.
The directors also discussed how far along the movie is. Crawford said what will be screened tomorrow is probably 90% finished. They’d just come from Skywalker Ranch after mixing the movie “a few days ago.” He described what still isn’t fully represented yet—effects missing. lighting not final in some scenes. and that they haven’t color-finished anything. More importantly. he said the original score by Nathan Matthew David and sound effects from creatures that bring everything to life aren’t represented yet in the unfinished version. He added that technically they’ll be done by “the middle or by the end of next month.”.
They framed the decision to show unfinished work as a sign of studio confidence—DreamWorks and Universal were “100% behind” screening it at both Annecy and CinemaCon, and they said the studio wouldn’t screen it if they didn’t believe they had something.
And they brought one more familiar name into the story’s music timeline. Crawford said H.E.R. was emotionally moved watching the movie early and wanted to write a song. He stressed they wouldn’t have asked her for it. but the result is a song that takes them “out of the movie and into the credits. ” with Liza Soberano singing on it.
As the film heads toward theaters. the directors also talked about how kids may want to turn the movie into friendship rituals—like bracelets. Crawford said the bracelet idea came from trying to visualize how powerful memory is. starting with scenes where objects feel like just objects until they become gifts tied to meaning. The concept becomes a bracelet with charms representing core memories. Mercado said the studio’s already on it.
Forgotten Island opens in theaters on September 25.
Forgotten Island DreamWorks Animation Joel Crawford Januel Mercado Annecy International Animation Film Festival Puss in Boots: The Last Wish H.E.R. Liza Soberano Dave Franco Raww INXS Never Tear Us Apart Filipino folklore Manananggal Batiba Predator Arnold Schwarzenegger Carl Weathers animation styles ‘90s nostalgia