{"id":2456,"date":"2026-06-18T19:06:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T19:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2456"},"modified":"2026-06-18T19:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T19:06:55","slug":"forgotten-island-directors-joel-crawford-and-januel-mercado-on-how-their-film-honors-the-women-in-their-lives-and-filipino-folklore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2456","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Forgotten Island\u2019 Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado\u00a0on How Their Film Honors the Women in Their Lives and Filipino Folklore"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\nDreamWorks Animation directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado are ready to take audiences on a new adventure with \u201cForgotten Island,\u201d hitting theaters on Sept. 25.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2454\">\u2018My Own Last Supper\u2019 Eyes Chinese Market After Shanghai Film Festival Bow<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nAnnecy Animation Festival attendees will get a sneak peek at the film and hear from the directors about how the film came together. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tSet in the 1990s, H.E.R. and Liza Soberano voice Jo and Raissa, two best friends who, after high school, are about to go their separate ways. As they celebrate their last night together, they stumble upon a magical portal \u2014 a gateway to stories they\u2019ve heard about growing up. These are places from Filipino folklore, where shapeshifters, demons, witches, and monsters exist. As they encounter friends and foes, their friendship is put to the test as they seek to find their way back home. The film\u2019s all-star voice cast also includes Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe idea of anchoring the film in a universal theme about friendship was close to the directors\u2019 hearts \u2014they first met as story artists on \u201cKung Fu Panda 2.\u201d This time, however, they switched things up and focused on female friendships, honoring the women in their lives. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tAhead of Annecy, Crawford told <em>Variety,<\/em> \u201cSo many times, young girls in movies and TV are portrayed as always talking about boys, or they\u2019re princesses.\u201d As the father of two teenage daughters, he observed how they interact and grow up with their friends, which is something he hadn\u2019t often seen on screen. \u201cI want my daughters to see themselves up on the screen, whether it\u2019s in terms of culture, in terms of ethnicity, but also how they are as people.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\n\tBeyond friendship, the film celebrates Filipino culture. Mercado is Filipino-American, and Crawford\u2019s wife, Kathy, is Filipina. It was important to the directors to paint a picture that was authentically Filipino. In addition to casting a who\u2019s who of Filipino talent, they describe themselves as \u201cCali kids\u201d who grew up surrounded by Filipinos. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn telling the story, Mercado said, \u201cWe were always coming from our experience and personal journeys with our families, and I hope people connect with that.\u201d He added, \u201cA lot of my time in the Philippines was these summer vacations with my family that happened in the \u201990s, so a lot of that organically carried over to the story. And again, it ties directly to my experience with my family in the Philippines.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe film features scenes of \u201ctraditionally Filipino\u201d moments, such as lechon (a whole roast pig), karaoke, street jeepneys, food and family parties. Mercado explained, \u201cThat is stuff that was inherently a part of this culture growing up and represents the Philippines in a big way, universally and globally, for Filipinos everywhere.\u201d He added, \u201cWhat\u2019s specific is universal if you come from a place that is honest and from your own experience. I think that authenticity comes through, and people connect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tCrawford added, \u201cWhen we\u2019re writing the characters, we\u2019re writing them how real people speak and interact and cut each other off. It\u2019s that same level of respect for the audience in the craft that we just took into Filipino culture, where we immerse the audience into a real world and dynamic of characters, and you don\u2019t need to explain. It feels real because we\u2019re not pandering, and we\u2019re not forcing anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2452\">Israeli Director Nadav Lapid on Cultural Boycott Backlash, Support From Natalie Portman and the Future of Political Cinema: \u2018I\u2019ll Keep Trying to Touch the Fire\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tWhen it came to the film\u2019s animation style, the two wanted to continue the legacy of the studio while pushing for a fresh visual style inspired by Filipino culture and the vibrant colors of the Philippines. Crawford said, \u201cEverything has a place, and you use it all. It\u2019s so saturated and vibrant, and pulling off of these organic inspirations from Filipino culture to the \u201990s aesthetic, and even a street style that has an edginess that comes across. We put all that together, and it becomes a specific new voice in terms of animation.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn the film, Salonga plays the Dreaded Manananggal, the most feared creature on the island. How did the directors pitch the Tony Award-winning star and get her to play a villain?<\/p>\n<p>\n\tMercado beamed, \u201cShe is Filipino royalty, and such a big name in what she\u2019s done for animation as the singing voice of Jasmine and Mulan. We thought it would be great casting if the Manananggal was Lea Salonga because she\u2019s one of the most iconic and legendary creatures from Filipino mythology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tCrawford pointed out that DreamWorks has a legacy of prominent villains, from Tai Lung to Lord Farquaad and The Wolf. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to continue that legacy, and we had to get the queen for that,\u201d Crawford joked. He revealed that they sent a pitch to see if she was interested. \u201cWe heard from her team right away.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\n\tSalonga said yes, but the directors realized that, as amazing as the part was, they were concerned it wouldn\u2019t be meaty enough for her. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tMercado said, \u201cShe was already on the same page as us, understanding that the Manananggal didn\u2019t need to speak a lot to be scary.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\n\tOne of the gifts Salonga gave them was her vocal performance. \u201cShe elevated the material,\u201d Mercado said. He went on to explain that Salonga found the voice for the character after listening to H.E.R. and Soberano. \u201cShe said, \u2018I\u2019ll change my voice so that it complements theirs. If they\u2019re a little higher, then I\u2019ll make the Manananggal deeper and speak from the gut.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2449\">\u2018The Naturalist\u2019 Series Adaptation in the Works at ABC From \u2018CSI\u2019 Alums (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Forgotten Island&#8221; directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado\u00a0on how their Dreamworks Animation honors Filipino Folklore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[344,2083],"class_list":["post-2456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artisans","tag-annecy-animation-festival","tag-dreamworks-animation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018Forgotten Island\u2019 Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado\u00a0on How Their Film Honors the Women in Their Lives and Filipino Folklore - 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