Forgotten Island, DreamWorks latest animated feature, operates at peak creative levels, offering a parade of vividly colored, fantastical creatures that pop off the screen, often with boosts of comic energy.
Beginning in the Philippines in the 1990s, the story -- written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) -- introduces two schoolgirls: rebellious Jo (H.E.R.) and studious Raissa (Liza Soberano). Mischief-prone best friends, Jo and Raissa constantly being sent to the principal's office.
Motivated by folk tales told by her grandmother (Dolly de Leon), Jo dreams of a magical island of Nakali. Her soon-to-be realized dream allows the movie to make ample use of Filipino lore.
Grandma passes on, but the girls remain best friends until high school graduation when Raissa announces that she’s headed to Caltech. For her part, Jo -- still a dreamer -- is left working for a chicken franchise, sometimes in a chicken costume. Throughout the movie, she has bad luck with fire.
On the night before Raissa is supposed to depart for college, the girls find a portal-opening sand dollar that transports them to the island of Nakali. Their principal task awaits. They want to re-enter the portal and return home. I bet you guessed that would be theirs and the story's destination.
On Nakali, the cast of animated characters expands, beginning with Raww (Dave Franco), a weredog that provides comic relief. We also meet Batiba (Jenny Slate), a character who refuses to venture outside her home. Batiba trades return trips from Nakali for visitors' memories. Other people's memories are the only life she knows.
As the story unfolds, additional characters enter: Prince Mermahn (Kevin McCann) flexes his muscles and indulges his vanity. King Truffle Wuffle (Ronny Chieng) appears as a ruler of the Duwende, fierce but small warriors who hate being called cute.
Then there’s three-eyed Bungi (Manny Jacinto), a big-bellied man/baby whose umbilical cord must be cut before he can join the group, which Raww dubs “The Wild Pack.”
Villainy arrives in the form of Mananggal (Lea Salonga), a demon vampire that sometimes splits in half at the waist, doubling her powers.
I’m way past the point of knowing what the youngest audience members can tolerate, but Manangga is treated as a scary monster. It also gave me pause that Jo carries a knife, although she only uses it for utilitarian purposes.
I list the characters partly to recognize the movie's voice talent and because the real fun of Forgotten Island involves the appearance of new characters, each showcasing the directors' visual invention.
Fortunately, the relationship between the girls rings true -- or true enough for a cartoon world. They don’t always get along because Raissa is advancing in life while Jo frets over losing those close to her.
The frenzied action and fast-pacing won’t be to everyone’s taste, and energy and abundance can easily tip into sensory overload.
One of the storytelling devices the movie employs involves the girls' loss of memory about their first night on Nakali. Various characters fill in the blanks in numerous flashbacks that complicate the movie's already dense structure.
OK, at 109 overextended minutes, the whole thing is too complex, but the directors provide an emotional spine that keeps the richly realized, if sometimes unwieldy, helping of animation from blowing off the screen.
Put another way: We'll be lucky if any other of this year's animated features boasts this much visual imagination.
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