DreamWorks Animation Reveals 'Forgotten Island'

DreamWorks Animation is riding high after the universally beloved The Wild Robot and the commercially successful Dog Man. The studio will release The Bad Guys 2 this summer, and has now revealed their next film to be released in September of 2026.

Previously known only as "Untitled DreamWorks Animation Film", the film has been revealed to go by the title of Forgotten Island. Unlike the majority of DreamWorks' past films, this will be an original film, not based on an existing book, comic, toy or other IP.

The film will be writen and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado.For the latter it will be his feature directorial debut, although he was co-director on Puss In Boots: The Last Wish and head of story for The Croods: A New Age, both of which were directed by Crawford. Mark Swift, Crawford's long-time collaborator, will produce.

Plot and further details are being kept under wraps for now. However, the studio has described the film as a broad party comedy adventure that transports the film's protagonists to a long-forgotten magical island rooted in Philippine mythology. It should be noted that Mercado is Filipino-American, so he's drawing on his own culture. This should ensure an air of authenticity.

Philippine mythology isn't something we've seen on screen before, at least in anything of this scale. So this should be an exciting opportunity to get a window into the culture and folklore. And will give Filipino audiences the chance to feel represented in animation- not something that has happened much before.

We don't really know much about the film, but is sounds intriguing enough for us to keep an eye on. We can't wait to get our first look at this!

Forgotten Island will be released in the US on September 25, 2026.

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