Forgotten Island reviews hit 100% on Rotten Tomatoes: DreamWorks' release date lands this week — and it isn't a sequel to anything
In a year wall-to-wall with sequels and brand extensions, the best-reviewed movie in DreamWorks history turns out to be the one nobody saw coming.
DreamWorks has made fifty movies. Shrek won the first-ever animation Oscar; How to Train Your Dragon built a decade-long franchise. And the studio's best-reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes is now, as of this week, neither of them — it's Forgotten Island, an original fantasy rooted in Filipino mythology that debuted at a perfect 100 percent from its first 22 reviews and opens in US theaters Friday, September 25.
The film comes from Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the duo behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish — and, notably, it's Crawford's first DreamWorks feature that isn't a sequel to anything. No pre-sold IP, no legacy characters, no number in the title. In 2026, that's the risky bet.
What it's actually about
Set in the 1990s Philippines, the story follows lifelong best friends Jo (voiced by H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) on their last night together before their paths split — until they tumble into the mythical island of Nakali and learn the exit fee: the memories of their friendship. A Manananggal from Filipino folklore hunts them across the island while the clock runs down to Raissa's flight. Letterboxd early birds have been describing it, with some delight, as The Hangover crossed with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for children. Crawford's own pitch is gentler:
"a story about these two lifelong friends who grew up in the Philippines."
The receipts
- The score: 100 percent, now the highest-rated DreamWorks film ever — above Shrek, above every Dragon.
- The reviews: The Hollywood Reporter called the animation "tremendously fast-paced" and clocked influences from anime, Ghibli, and Spider-Verse; the Sydney Morning Herald went four stars for its heart and its devotion to the culture on screen.
- The cast: the largest concentration of Filipino and Filipino-American talent in a major Hollywood animated film — Soberano, Dolly de Leon, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy, Lea Salonga — plus Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, and Ronny Chieng.
- The soundtrack: H.E.R. and Salonga alongside P-pop heavyweights SB19 and BINI, whose original song premiered at the Manila event days before the US opening.
The label to watch: a 100 from 22 reviews is a snapshot, and it will wobble as the count grows. What won't wobble is the historical footnote — an original, culturally specific film out-reviewing every franchise the studio ever built.
The film ran a work-in-progress screening at Annecy in June to a rapturous room, has already opened in several international markets, and hits US theaters this Friday, rated PG, at 108 minutes.
Previously we wrote: Paramount must release 30 films a year or sell Miramax, the label behind its biggest hit of the year
