Forgotten Island (Christian Movie Review)
The supernatural elements and sharper tonal edges may give some parents pause, but Forgotten Island is an entertaining adventure bursting with vibrant color and creative energy, and an emotionally moving and beautiful celebration of friendship.
About the Film
Classic Disney fairytales typically centered on young women finding their charming prince and living happily ever after. In our current digital and increasingly lonely world, however, the desire for idealized romance has taken a backseat to a more immediate yearning for deep friendship and authentic connection. In that way, Dreamworks’ new film Forgotten Island is a timely and earnest story about the importance of friendship, and the relational bonds and memories that shape our lives. The supernatural elements and sharper tonal edges may give some parents pause, but Forgotten Island is an entertaining adventure bursting with vibrant color and creative energy, and an emotionally moving and beautiful celebration of friendship.
There’s a storyline in the film that involves a cassette mixtape, and that mixtape is perhaps a fitting encapsulation of the story itself. There’s a sense of musicality to Forgotten Island. The movement of the scenes are often edited in sync with the music, and frequent scenes are presented like a music video. At a deeper and tonal level, the story unfolds like a mixtape, showcasing eclectic styles and tastes that can be both captivating and jarring. Particularly in its second act, the film is almost chaotic, introducing new exposition and characters in rapid succession, and teetering on the verge of losing control of the narrative. Yet, the story works, because this rapid-fire pace is balanced with well-timed emotional and quieter dramatic moments that keep the story grounded. Enjoyment may depend in part on how well audiences get into the rhythm of the film and recognize the bigger picture amid the crazy individual moments.
Visually, the acclaimed Spider-Verse films blew the doors off what was possible and expected in an animated film, and Forgotten Island continues down that exciting and innovative path. This is a gorgeous film, with a strikingly bold color pallet and frenetic mix of aesthetic styles, including several amusing sequences in classic 2D animation. The movie is also reminiscent of KPop Demon Hunters (2025) with some fun anime influences. The success of the visuals is not just in appearance, but also in the way they contribute to the thematic depth of the story. For example, a powerful visual of a character floating alone in a sea of water as a symbolic depiction of her loneliness. Or, in what may be one of the most moving sequences I’ve seen in a film in a long time, a climactic scene in which a character fights to cling to her fading memories.
The visuals are delightful, but the friendship between the two main characters is the clear beating heart of the film. Both characters are fully realized, developed, and endearing. Given recent Hollywood history, Christian audiences may expect overt LGBTQ connotations, or at least some not-so-subtle winks and nods toward that interpretation. Thankfully, the film steers clear of any romantic dimension and instead celebrates wholesome friendship without any forced underlying sexual tenson. Christians know well that love is not an experience exclusive to romantic relationships, and it’s refreshing for Hollywood to affirm that foundational biblical truth as well.
Forgotten Island is a beautifully animated and earnestly told tale, but as with the mystical island itself, the experience is not without some obstacles to overcome. The movie is rated PG, but it is a hard PG. There are some frightening visuals and darker humor that may challenge sensitive, younger viewers. Beyond that, there are two areas for parents to be aware of. The first is a continuation of Hollywood’s recent irksome trend of including profanity or excessive rude language in animated films aimed at young audiences (see ‘content to consider’ below). As a story about college-aged characters, perhaps this is intended as an attempt at authentic speech, but the language is an unwanted and entirely unnecessary inclusion.
The second obstacle is the heavy emphasis on the supernatural. Magic and non-biblical spirituality is an understandable tension-point for many Chrisitan audiences. The film features creatures and figures from Filipino folklore and mythology, including vampire-like beings, and various so-called “demons”, some of whom are ultimately shown to be good. Notably, the film is not told out of a Christian worldview and framework, and so these mythological “demons” are better understood as a more general category of spiritual beings than the demonic beings from scripture. Christians should follow their own convictions when navigating these elements, but I interpret Forgotten Island more as metaphorical fantasy rather than a literal depiction of pagan spirituality. The film contains spiritual elements, but it is not about these elements. Rather, the mythological framework serves more as an external metaphor and as the internal spiritual and emotional journey of the characters (see “themes” below).
In the end, Forgotten Island is a lot like friendship itself, messy and challenging, but ultimately a rewarding and worthwhile experience. There is a version of this movie with a slightly softer edge, and without some of the juvenile humor, that would be one of my favorite films (animated or otherwise) in recent memory. Even so, despite some of the unfortunate aspects that dampen my enthusiasm, this remains a beautiful and emotionally meaningful film.
For Consideration
On the Surface—(Profanity, Sexual content, violence, etc.).
Language: There are several profanities, including “d—” and the frequent use of “h—lla.” There are also some substitute or vulgar word, such as “heck”, “flipping,” “nards”, “crap”, “bunghole”, and “p–sing.” A scene from The Predator is shown multiple times, with the characters saying, “You son of a….”, but the quote is left unfinished.
Violence: There’s no significant violence depicted on screen, but there is plenty of discussion of violence. As children, the characters have a dark amusement for violent stories, telling tales to their classmates and parents that feature “dismemberment” and even includes a bucket of fake blood for the listeners in the “splash zone.” An evil creature talks about ripping mortals apart, and an army of cute looking creatures declare their intention to bathe in the blood of their victims (with the army chanting “bathe in their blood!”).
Sexuality: A merman-type character has a somewhat feminine appearance, including two sentient starfish that cover his nipples, although the film doesn’t otherwise imply anything concerning about sexuality. A human character wears a jeweled crown on her head, which is later revealed to be a giant’s nipple ring. A character professes that he thinks another character is “hot.”
Other: As earlier mentioned, there is plenty of pagan folklore and mythology. Also notable, is that a framed painting of Jesus also makes a prominent appearance. It is treated casually (although not necessarily disrespectfully), with a character asking, “Hey Jesus, have you seen my friend?” Later, the frowning, seemingly displeased face in the picture is used in a comical way. The filmmakers have expressed that this is a nod to Filipino culture and the prevalence of such pictures. The scene itself is not particularly antagonistic toward Christianity, but some viewers may not appreciate the casual inclusion in a film that seemingly also treats the pagan and mythological elements as being real.
Engage The Film
Friendship and Memories in a Lonely World
While some Christians will understandably latch onto the external spiritual elements, to make the film primarily about the spiritual backdrop is to miss what the film is really trying to say. In fact, it’s possible to map many of the characters and elements in the fantasy world to the girls’ experiences in their real world. In other words, the fantasy world becomes just the arena in which the two characters learn to navigate the real-world challenges of deep but changing friendship as they grow up. This is a film about friendship, not religion.
Interestingly, the Spider-Verse movies may have inspired the visuals, but narratively and thematically, Forgotten Island has much more in common with the live action Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That comic book film clearly struck a cultural nerve, breaking records to become the #1 film all time at the domestic box office, and it did so with an intimate story about the need for close friendship and the dehumanization and social isolation that comes from being alone and forgotten. Forgotten Island tells a similar story, with a message that friendship and community is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity. That’s clearly a message that our culture is yearning for, and one that Christians can affirm.
The bible is filled with affirmations about the importance of community, whether that’s “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17), that we are “one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12), or that there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for a friend (John 15:13). Jesus is not someone who we are to only experience privately or in heaven; he also established His church on earth. Life is not meant to be lived alone. Forgotten Island affirms that biblical truth but also reminds us that living in community with others is not always easy. Relationships change, and each person is beautifully unique. Yet, as the characters in the film come to learn, love transcends our differences and unites us.
