Never Tear Us Apart

Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado

Starring H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco

Released September 25th, 2026

Rated PG

We are experiencing a pretty cool era of animation these days that I like to call “Kitchen Sink Animation,” films that seem to have thrown every style of cartoon together into one project. Back in the day, any given animated film stuck to one style. Traditional hand-drawn 2D, cutting edge computer generated 3D, limited TV muzzles, cel-shaded digital art, you get the idea. Then along came a spider; more specifically 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was a revelation for audiences and creators alike. That film, and its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, ushered in a new era for animation, with eye-popping visuals that ran the gamut of different styles. Films including The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Kpop Demon Hunters, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish further pushed the boundaries of what an animated film could look and feel like, and audiences responded with collective oohs and aahs. Now, the directors of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, return with their latest film Forgotten Island, which continues this welcome trend of Kitchen Sink Animation.

This is a fast moving film during which a watercolor look will give way to an anime inspired sequence before crashing into yet another style. The flashbacks are all 2D, with the main story presented in colorful and expressive 3D animation. It all adds up to produce the most beautiful animation I’ve seen in years, coupled with a story boasting a ton of heart and humor. This is an Alice in Wonderland story, a Wizard of Oz story, a Chronicles of Narnia story. By that I mean this is a story in which our main characters are transported to a magical land and need to find their way back home. What’s interesting about this take is the story is rooted in Filipino myths and legends. To say that Filipino culture has been underrepresented in Western pop culture would be an understatement, so it’s nice to see these fables and folklore presented in a dynamic and compelling fashion through gorgeous animation and a fun script (written by the directors Crawford and Mercado). 

Filipino kids Jo (Gabriella Wilson, known professionally as H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano, so good in Lisa Frankenstein) meet each other in elementary school, bonding through being outcasts. Their friendship only gets stronger as the years pass through their teenage years as they explore their odd interests, and into young adulthood until their bond is threatened by Raissa’s impending move from the Philippines to America to attend Caltech. On their last night together before level-headed Raissa’s move, the impulsive Jo convinces her to head toward the beach in search of the mythical realm of Nakali, a place that Jo’s grandmother Lola (Dolly de Leon) claims to have visited in her youth. That the pals find a portal to Nakali is as much a shock to them as it is to the locals they befriend in their quest to find their way back to our reality. 

Among these fabulous weirdos are Raww (Dave Franco) a dog man trickster type, Bungi (Manny Jacinto), a whiny baby demon, Batiba (Jenny Slate), a memory thief, and Manang (Lea Salonga), a fearsome winged creature. Raww and Bungi bring the laughs while Batiba and Manang bring the chills, and there are many more strange and delightful residents of Nakali that Jo and Raissa will meet as they do their best to maintain their friendship and find their way home. I’ve mentioned how fast-paced this film is, rarely taking a moment to breathe as the near-constant gags and jokes are shot like cannons out of almost every scene. Thankfully, this kinetic pace does not undermine the emotional stakes of the story. But the so-called “rude humor” might. Forgotten Island is rated PG for a variety of reasons, and one of those is rude humor. I’m not a huge fan of that style of humor, and there’s a lot of it here. Too much, I’d say. It really detracted from my overall enjoyment of the film. Take some of those gags out, and you’d have a stronger movie. 

As it stands, Forgotten Island remains a triumph, an emotional and humorous look at the power (and unexpected burden) of friendship. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to have lifelong friends know that there are ups and downs that you both must deal with in order to keep those friendships alive and healthy. This movie does a good job examining the importance of maintaining those healing, grounding relationships. I like these characters, I like the fantastical setting. I like Nathan Matthew David’s score. I like the pop music needle drops. Most of all I am smitten with the absolutely gorgeous kaleidoscope of dizzyingly beautiful animation on display in every scene. Forgotten Island deserves to be remembered by audiences.