DreamWorks' Forgotten Island Sneak Peek Shows Off Its '90s Love Letter

The release of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish at the end of 2022 raised the bar for DreamWorks Animation like never before. At a time when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse set new expectations for what an animated film could look like at its absolute most dynamic and colorful, Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado brought the studio behind Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon into the modern age, giving the Shrek spin-off a gorgeous watercolor style unlike anything in their repertoire. It's part of the reason why the orange tabby cat's death-defying tale of derring-do was hailed as one of the company's best adventures to date. For the directing duo's next film, however, they're going even further.

Next week, on September 25, DreamWorks will send viewers out to the Forgotten Island, Crawford and Mercado's colorful new 90s-set feature set in the Philippines. It tells the story of two lifelong best friends who wind up stranded in another world that they must escape as it slowly feeds on their memories of each other. More than that, though, it's also an original passion project that pulls from a wide range of animation influences and their own memories of the decade to create a visual feast for the eyes. Before it hits theaters, Collider can exclusively share a new sneak peek that digs into the maximalist, cinematic style that pushed DreamWorks to its limits.

The video opens with the trio of stars, H.E.R., Liza Soberano, and Dave Franco, marveling at how the Forgotten Island team managed to use animation to create something that both felt surreal and artistic while still almost giving the impression that someone within its world is picking up a camera and capturing footage. For Mercado and Crawford, The Last Wish gave them a baseline for the kind of fantastical movie they wanted to make. However, with no existing franchise, they had no shortage of opportunities to let their imaginations run wild with what sort of creatures, friends, and foes the forgotten island of Nakali would have in store, as well as animation styles. Like Franco pointed out, they aimed for some shots with a "handheld" style, as if Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Soberano) were filming their journey, but constantly swap from more dreamlike visuals to a graphic novel style and anime, with a look inspired by Dragon Ball Z and Street Fighter, created in partnership with the Philippines-based Snipple Animation.

'Forgotten Island' Is a Melting Pot of Pop Culture, Mythology, and Friendship

The result of these many different collaborations, hand-drawn styles, and ideas from all parts of the team mashed together is what Mercado and Crawford believe is one of DreamWorks' most complex films to date. It's billed as a love letter to the 90s and the colors and media that defined it, an homage to Philippine mythology, a dedication to enduring friendship, and a dream-like adventure all rolled into one. Forgotten Island also brings in a stellar voice cast to round it out. H.E.R., Soberano, and Franco are Manny Jacinto, Jenny Slate, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga. Even the music is designed to mesh with the style, taking cues from the Philippine music scene in the 80s and 90s and featuring contributions from not just H.E.R. and Soberano, but artists from the country, like the P-Pop band Bini.

Forgotten Island premieres in theaters on September 25. Check out the new sneak peek in the player above.