While many animated films adopt a frenetic pace to keep up with a young audience, Forgotten Island earns its energy-drink-fueled pace with a film about the importance of memories and living in the moment. There’s a fear of slowing down and losing everything, but also an understandable boost of adrenaline for a fantasy adventure that could easily get bogged down in exposition. And for an animated film about two women struggling with a friendship, this original endeavor by DreamWorks swings for the fences with a neon bat adorned with anime stickers.

Set in the Philippines, a relationship blossoms between the eccentric party animal Jo (H.E.R.) and the shy nerd Raissa (Liza Soberano). They form a strong bond as they grow up together, adding memories as trinkets to their matching bracelets. Something they bond over is the folklore of the country and trying to find the mysterious forgotten island, a place that can only be accessed with a special stone that opens a portal. The friends learn this from Jo’s grandma, Lola (Dolly de Leon), but when the elder dies, their ambition to find the portal fades. With Raissa heading off to America for college, their friendship seems likely to fade too.

Jo’s going-away party for her friend soon turns into an adventure as she discovers the portal to the legendary island of mystical creatures and magic. The problem is that when Jo and Raissa arrive, they have apparently been partying for hours in this location and can’t remember any of it. Unraveling what they did and how they’ll get home will have them retracing their steps around several colorful characters. This includes the troublesome were-dog Raww (Dave Franco), the anxious demon baby Bungi (Manny Jacinto), and the aggressive-yet-cute Truffle Wuffle (Ronny Chieng). They’ll have to work fast, however, as they don’t want to become another victim of the violent Manang (Lea Salonga), a winged monster capable of detaching her lower body and disemboweling the bodies of others.

Forgotten Island rarely slows down, channeling the same level of caffeine that likely pumps through Jo and Raissa’s veins with the energy drinks they consume. That zippy pacing never comes off as annoying, however, considering how strongly the film focuses on a developing friendship instead of wacky stuff for them to do. Their growth from girls to women practically feels like a speedrun of the opening to Pixar’s Up. Even when they arrive on the fantastical island, most of the scenes don’t come off like distractions for stylish set pieces or creature designs. Each scene reveals recovered memories and leaves them uncertain about the strange creatures they run across, debating who they can trust after the many unaccounted-for hours.

The story stays interesting through its strong focus on preserving memories in several ways. Jo and Raissa carry on Lola’s legacy through their love of karaoke and enthusiasm for mythology. But they also realize how tangible memories can be when they meet Batiba (Jenny Slate), a tree creature that treasures the memories of the many items she acquires. With Batiba’s ability to barter memories, the film raises deeper questions about what to remember and what we’d like to forget. Does Jo want to keep her memories of Raissa, or would it be best to forget a friend who might never return? Does Raissa want to remember Jo before heading off to college, or are her antics too immature to bother preserving their friendship? These are some heavy questions that they’ll have to grapple with while finding their way back home amid a world of tree giants, sexy mermen, and birds that you can ride like horses, but move at the speed of a bullet train.

Lest one think this is a deeply dramatic picture, this is a wildly eccentric and fun animated film. The fast-paced comedy isn’t afraid to be as clever as Raissa’s nerdy comments about rocket science or as simple as Jo farting fire when eating spicy food. Despite how busy the film gets with its plot of finding the way back home, it still has room for silly asides like jamming out to DMX or performing a concert cover of Journey for a jungle audience. Those jukebox additions never felt like obligatory pop-culture plugs, given how much work the story does to establish its characters. I wanted to see them have fun. What’s the point of being tossed into this dazzling world of magic, creatures, and various cultures if you can’t take a moment to enjoy any of it? For a movie that seems to be injected with extreme levels of adrenaline, it still finds moments to carve out for wonderment and heart.

Of course, none of this fantasy would work if the animation wasn’t as strong, and thankfully, directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado have served up a visual feast. Although clearly taking many influences from anime with its exaggerated faces and traditional 2D segments, the computer animation is bursting with vibrant color in everything from the busy city streets to explosions that grace a lush jungle. The character designs are just as remarkable and vivacious, with Jo seeming like she’s built for serious partying and Raissa’s unique shift on the island, where she loses some hair but gains some wings. Visually, there’s never a dull moment in all the popping hues and extra-cartoony exaggeration in everything from high-speed chases to something as simple as eating hot savory snacks.

Forgotten Island is perhaps excessively energetic at times, but somehow doesn’t forget to make you care about the odd characters zooming across the screen. Credit goes to Crawford and Mercado, who make these characters feel as relatable as the players of Crawford’s previous film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. That film featured a sincere attempt at depicting a panic attack and how to properly avert it. Not only does Forgotten Island have a similar scene, but it even boasts characters with agoraphobia and abandonment issues. While the film could be praised for its originality in not being a sequel or based on an intellectual property, there’s also originality in how it presents the two leads. These are two grown-up women with real fears about preserving friendship and family, rather than whether they can find the right romance or earn the best title. As boisterous as the film gets, it’s also deeply emotional, showing kids that adults can still grow up to face the same problems they might have with their current childhood friendships. I think that’s a remarkable quality for a film that boasts ridiculous jokes about nipple rings, infected tattoos, and gorging on processed food and sugary drinks. For an animated movie where two friends consume an excessive amount of junk food, this is a surprisingly healthy picture for families.

Not available on any streaming platforms.

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