‘Forgotten Island’ moves better than most animated films

That’s what separates “Forgotten Island” from most animated films released today. Instead of mining old tropes or contemporizing situations, directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado dig into their families’ pasts and come up with a story that’s original and utterly heartfelt.

Set in the Philippines in the 1990s, “Island” follows two friends, Jo (voiced by H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), as they deal with life on their island and face the future without each other. This is what “Lilo & Stitch” should have been. 

When Raissa gets a shot at attending Caltech, she decides to take it and move into uncharted territory. Before that happens, she and Jo find themselves going through a portal to the island of Nakali, a place Jo’s grandmother had told them about. There, they find all types of characters (including Raww, a were-dog voiced by Dave Franco) and enough originality to fuel dozens of Disney features. 

That originality is what makes “Forgotten Island” so memorable. Watch it once and you only scrape the surface. Watch it repeatedly and it pays dividends. Crawford and Mercado have paced this faster than most films and have those specific references – to the 1990s, the Philippines and pop culture  -- that make it fascinating.

The film’s music (yes, H.E.R. contributes) is good, too, and features covers of classics. Its color palette is so vivid you wonder if this should be titled “Fantasy Island,” not “Forgotten Island.”

While Franco wins the prize for best voice work (come on, he’s a werewolf/dog), there’s plenty that comes from the grandmother’s storytelling and the friends’ flights of fancy.

By switching the two characters’ trajectories, we aren’t sent down obvious paths as they mine fast-food and fractions. 

Best of all “Forgotten Island” rewards us for paying attention and opening our minds to new worlds. It never abandons its courage and always suggests the best is yet to come.

This, folks, could be the best animated film of the year.