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Liza Soberano grew up thinking there were small goblin-like creatures in the drain of her kitchen sink. They were the \u201cduwende\u201d, the actor\u2019s parents would tell her, mischievous creatures from Filipino mythology that must be treated with respect lest they afflict with you an incurable rash or fever.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever I\u2019d pour hot water down the sink, I would always say \u2018tabi-tabi po\u2019, which means \u2018excuse me\u2019. I still do that to this day,\u201d says the Filipino-American star, who starred in 2024\u2019s Lisa Frankenstein.<\/p>\n
If you come from the Philippines, chances are you were told similar stories while growing up. From the \u201cduwende\u201d and shapeshifting \u201caswang\u201d to the terrifying vampiric \u201cmanananggal\u201d, folklore and mythology have long taken centre-stage in many Filipino households.<\/p>\n
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Forgotten Island is the first major animated Hollywood feature to centre on Filipino stories and culture.Universal Pictures\/DreamWorks<\/p>\n
They have also taken centre-stage in DreamWorks\u2019 latest animated film, Forgotten Island.<\/p>\n
Pegged as the first major animated Hollywood production to centre on Filipino culture, the film follows best friends Jo and Raissa (voiced by Soberano) as they become trapped on Nakali, a mystical island that feeds on their memories and tests their friendship. While trying to find their way back home, the pair encounter a string of creatures, from nature spirits known as \u201cdiwata\u201d to the tree-dwelling giant \u201ckapres\u201d. But with fading memories and the \u201cmanananggal\u201d \u2013 a bloodthirsty creature with a detachable torso \u2013 hunting them, their chances of making it back to the real world appear more fantastical than the island itself.<\/p>\n
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Liza Soberano grew up hearing about Filipino myths and folktales. Now, she\u2019s helping bring them to life in Forgotten Island.Universal Pictures\/DreamWorks<\/p>\n
For Soberano, taking part in a film like this was a no-brainer. Not only was it driven by the very culture she grew up in, it also retold stories she had heard time and again in classrooms, friends\u2019 houses and while tucked under her blanket at bedtime. The same could be said of her co-star Gabriella Wilson, a five-time Grammy Award-winning musician known globally as H.E.R., who voices Jo.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom specifically would scare me with the manananggal,\u201d Wilson says. \u201cWe went to the Philippines a few times, and when we\u2019d see bats in the sky, she\u2019d say, \u2018it\u2019s the manananggal\u2019, and I\u2019d be like, \u2018oh my god!\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
The film goes far beyond the folklore, though. From beginning to end, Forgotten Island is filled with specific Filipino cultural references. There are the jeepneys \u2013 World War II military vehicles repurposed for personal use in the Philippines \u2013 and a lech\u00f3n baboy, a whole roast pig. The characters frequently speak Tagalog, one of the main languages used in the Philippines, and purse their lips to point someone in a certain direction \u2013 a gesture Wilson says is common throughout the country.<\/p>\n
But of all the references, it\u2019s petroleum jelly and Jesus that stand out to Wilson and Soberano the most.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I saw the petroleum jelly, I thought, \u2018oh my gosh, that is literally our childhood\u2019. It was so funny, so specific and niche, but just perfect,\u201d Wilson says, explaining that most Filipino households have a massive tub that they use for everything from cuts to burns.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my favourites is Jesus Christ just watching you with the disapproving face,\u201d Soberano added, referencing a scene in which Jo accidentally starts a fire at a farewell party, charring everything but a painting of the judgemental-looking prophet.<\/p>\n
Seeing these niche references on-screen feels beyond joyous, Wilson says. It also feels overdue.<\/p>\n
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Gabriella Wilson, aka H.E.R., voices Jo in Forgotten Island.Universal Pictures\/DreamWorks<\/p>\n
Though Filipino culture has become increasingly visible on the global stage \u2013 Wilson points to popular Filipino foods such as ube, taro and Jollibee fast food, as well as Filipino music like Pinoy hip-hop \u2013 it has yet to make a significant mark on the global silver screen. Certain Filipino (or half-Filipino) actors have broken into Hollywood, including Manny Jacinto (Top Gun: Maverick), Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Brand New Day), Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians) and Kristin Villanueva (The Pitt), but they all feature in largely Anglo-Westernised worlds. Forgotten Island places a largely Filipino cast in an undeniably Filipino world.<\/p>\n
Related Article \u201cFilipinos will feel seen and recognised. They\u2019ll see us being celebrated and being proud,\u201d Wilson says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain who we are, but now people get to experience it \u2013 we get to show it \u2026 I think Forgotten Island will set the standard for everybody \u2013 all cultures \u2013 to feel like they should have a voice and a place to tell their story.\u201d<\/p>\n For a film like this to feel authentic, Wilson says it must come from those who lived it. Forgotten Island was co-directed by Filipino-American Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford, whose wife is Filipina. The pair also worked together on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. While filming, Soberano says the directing duo often asked her for advice around the use of Tagalog words, or whether specific references worked in certain contexts. It was a collaborative process that placed value on the lived experience of those on-set, including Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy and the legendary Disney voice actress Lea Salonga (Mulan, Aladdin).<\/p>\n This extended beyond the camera. The film\u2019s soundtrack consists of numbers by Soberano and Wilson, as well as other Filipino artists such as BINI, SB19 and Katseye\u2019s Sophia Laforteza. Even some of the animation is by Snipple, a studio based in Manila. The studio brought a distinct Filipino flare to the film\u2019s visual style, weaving vibrant, exaggerated anime into scenes to signal a memory or flashback.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where Hollywood misses the mark a lot of the time,\u201d Wilson says. \u201cYou can\u2019t speak on behalf of a culture, you have to live it, understand it. You have to uplift those voices if you really are trying to give that culture a story and platform \u2026 Everyone in this film pushed the boundaries because they care. There\u2019s a different amount of authenticity when you pull from the source.\u201d<\/p>\n Soberano hopes that Forgotten Island will showcase the breadth of what Filipino cinema has to offer. Though much of the local film industry is driven by romance productions, she says it\u2019s uniquely positioned to tell stories about family.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s your family or chosen family, Filipinos have such a strong sense of what that means to us, and have a very good way of expressing it in the form of art,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m excited for more Filipino films to hopefully reach a global audience because I miss the days when there were a lot of family friendly films in the Western side of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n In Forgotten Island, Raissa is Jo\u2019s chosen family. With her parents in the US, she only has her grandma, or \u201clola\u201d, around her. When she meets Raissa at her new school, they become thick as thieves, bound by friendship bracelets with tokens for each of their most treasured memories together. But when Raissa decides to go to the US for university, Jo suddenly feels unmoored \u2013 what will she do without her best friend, her chosen family?<\/p>\n![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789616654_694_554e2c1791291c756b65a3f695a4c34b20b76045.jpeg\")
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The distinctly bright visual style of Forgotten Island is partially thanks to the Manila-based animated studio behind it.Universal Pictures\/DreamWorks<\/p>\n![\"For](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c60348e4eeb78006114a7a6ba7d99c792641f660.jpeg\")
For most Filipinos watching Forgotten Island, the terrifying manananggal will be all too familiar.Universal Pictures\/DreamWorks<\/p>\n![\"Gabriella](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a5026b887dfdc28c6da78cc2e7433cba3e284f4a.jpeg\")
Gabriella Wilson (left) and Liza Soberano, the leading voices behind Forgotten Island.Universal Pictures\/DreamWorks<\/p>\n
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