Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Forgotten Island (2026).
Forgotten Island is not really a story about finding a magical island. At its heart, it is about two best friends realizing that growing up does not have to mean losing each other.
The DreamWorks animated film follows Jo and Raissa, two girls who have been inseparable since childhood. Their friendship is about to change because Raissa is leaving the Philippines to attend Caltech in the United States. Jo is not ready to accept that their lives are moving in different directions.
On their final night together, the two discover a mysterious portal that leads to Nakali, the legendary island Jo has heard about since childhood from her grandmother. What begins as one last adventure quickly becomes a fight to remember who they are and, more importantly, why their friendship matters.
What Does Forgotten Island Mean?
The title has a direct connection to the film’s main idea. Nakali is a shortened form of the Filipino word nakalimutan, meaning “forgotten.” The name is more than a clever reference. Nakali is a place where memories can disappear, and the longer Jo and Raissa remain there, the greater the danger of losing the memories that connect them.
That makes the island a reflection of the girls’ situation. Raissa is preparing to leave, while Jo is afraid that distance will make their years together meaningless. The supernatural threat simply turns that ordinary fear into something much more literal: what if they actually forget each other?
Who Are Jo and Raissa?
Jo and Raissa have been best friends since they were children. Jo is imaginative, impulsive and deeply connected to the stories her grandmother told her about Filipino folklore. Raissa is more focused on school and her future, and her academic success gives her a chance to study in America.
The problem is that Jo sees Raissa’s departure as the end of the life they have built together. Raissa, meanwhile, sees it as the beginning of the next stage of her life.
The film spends considerable time showing their friendship before the fantasy adventure begins. That matters because the memories they later risk losing are not abstract memories. They represent years of jokes, arguments, family stories, childhood adventures and the feeling of having someone who completely understands you.
How Do Jo and Raissa Get to Nakali?
On the night before Raissa leaves for America, Jo convinces her to spend one last night together. They discover a mysterious magical portal and decide to go through it.
When they wake up in Nakali, something is clearly wrong. They have no memory of the previous night. Raissa has mysteriously acquired a pair of wings, Jo has evidence that she had a wild night on the island, and the magical object that can supposedly take them home is missing.
They soon meet Raww, a were-aspin voiced by Dave Franco. Raww claims that he was with the girls during their missing night and knows what happened. His chaotic personality provides much of the film’s comedy, but he eventually becomes an important ally.
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What Is Nakali?
Nakali is a fantasy world filled with creatures from Filipino mythology and folklore. Instead of using a generic fantasy kingdom, the film builds its world around creatures such as the manananggal, tiyanak, batibat and other supernatural figures.
The world is colorful and strange, but there is a darker rule underneath all of it: memories have value in Nakali.
Jo and Raissa eventually meet Batiba, a memory-collecting creature voiced by Jenny Slate. Batiba offers them a way to recover what they have forgotten and return home. But her price is extremely high.
Why Can’t Jo and Raissa Simply Go Home?
Batiba wants the matching friendship bracelets Jo and Raissa have carried since childhood. The bracelets contain memories of their relationship. Giving them up would allow the girls to leave, but it would also mean losing the memories that made them best friends.
The girls refuse.
Instead, they decide to search for the missing magical sand dollar themselves. The sand dollar is their key to returning home, and there is another reason they are racing against time: Raissa still has a flight to catch.
The adventure takes them through different parts of Nakali, where they meet creatures who either help them or try to stop them. Along the way, the movie gradually reveals that their missing memories are connected to something Jo did.
What Really Happened During Their Missing Night?
This is where Forgotten Island changes from a simple fantasy adventure into a story about friendship and fear.
Jo and Raissa eventually recover their memories of the previous night. The truth is uncomfortable.
Raissa had taken Manang’s wings, while Jo had hidden the sand dollar. Jo did it because she did not want Raissa to leave her and go to Caltech. By hiding the way home, Jo was secretly trying to keep their friendship from changing.
That discovery devastates Raissa. She realizes that Jo’s fear of being left behind led her to make a decision that took away Raissa’s choice.
The conflict is important because Jo is not simply a victim of the magical island. She has also made a serious mistake. She loves Raissa, but that love has turned into fear and possessiveness.
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What Happens to Manang?
Manang, the film’s terrifying manananggal, is hunting Raissa because her wings were stolen.
Manananggal folklore traditionally features a supernatural creature capable of separating its upper body from its lower body and flying with wings. In the film, Manang becomes one of the most visually striking figures in Nakali and one of the major threats facing the girls.
Her anger is not completely random, either. She has lost something that belongs to her, just as Jo is terrified of losing something that belongs to her past.
The two conflicts eventually come together during the final confrontation.
Why Does Jo Sacrifice Her Memories?
After Jo and Raissa’s relationship breaks down, Jo still cannot stop herself from protecting Raissa.
When Raissa is in danger, Jo makes another deal with Batiba. This time, she offers her own friendship bracelet so that Raissa can return home safely.
The decision works, but there is a terrible cost.
Raissa makes it back to the human world while Batiba begins taking Jo’s memories. Jo is essentially giving up the history of their friendship so that Raissa can live and continue her future.
For Jo, this is the opposite of what she did earlier in the movie. At first, she tried to prevent Raissa from leaving because she was afraid of losing her. Now she is willing to lose everything she remembers about Raissa if it means giving her best friend the chance to go home.
How Does Raissa Save Jo?
Raissa is devastated after returning home. But she cannot accept that Jo should disappear from her life simply because Jo sacrificed herself.
Her love for Jo becomes the thing that allows her to return to Nakali. She does not need the sand dollar in the same way anymore because the emotional connection between the two friends has become more powerful than the rules that trapped them there.
Raissa reaches Batiba’s lair and finds Jo trapped inside the memory ritual.
Instead of simply fighting Batiba, Raissa reaches Jo through their shared memories. She moves through the moments that defined their friendship, reminding Jo of the person she was and the life they had built together.
The most important memory is their first meeting. Raissa manages to reach Jo before Batiba can erase the friendship completely.
Jo remembers.
The spell breaks.
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What Happens to Batiba?
Batiba’s story also changes during the climax.
She has spent much of her existence treating memories as something that can be collected and traded. But Jo and Raissa’s relationship forces her to understand that memories are not valuable simply because they can be possessed.
Their value comes from the people who share them.
Batiba eventually changes her approach and helps restore what was taken. This becomes important during the final confrontation with Manang.
How Is Manang Defeated?
The final conflict brings together Jo, Raissa and their friends from Nakali. Raww, Bungi, Prince Mermahn and the others help the girls face Manang.
Rather than ending with a simple monster defeat, the film resolves Manang’s anger through memory.
Batiba returns the memories that were taken from Manang. Once those memories are restored, Manang is no longer driven by the same rage.
This mirrors the main story. Just as Jo and Raissa need their memories to understand their friendship, Manang needs her memories to understand herself.
Do Jo and Raissa Get Back Home?
Yes. Jo and Raissa eventually return to the human world together.
More importantly, they return with a better understanding of their friendship. Jo learns that loving someone does not mean controlling where they go. Raissa learns that moving forward with her own life does not mean abandoning the people who helped shape her.
Their friendship survives because they finally accept that it can change without disappearing.
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What Happens to Jo and Raissa After Nakali?
The film then jumps forward in time.
Jo and Raissa are living in America, showing that Raissa’s original plan to leave the Philippines did eventually happen. But leaving home did not destroy their friendship.
Raissa attends a live reading of Jo’s latest novel. The book is clearly inspired by what happened in Nakali, although Jo has changed some details and turned parts of their adventure into fiction.
The story even includes a humorous fictional love triangle involving versions of Raissa, Raww and Prince Mermahn. It is a playful way of showing that Jo has turned something frightening and painful into a story she can finally tell.
Can Jo and Raissa Return to Nakali?
Yes. This is one of the most important details in the ending.
After the reading, Jo and Raissa realize they still have time before they need to leave. They hold their friendship bracelets together and use them to open a portal.
Instead of being trapped in Nakali, they can now choose to visit it.
The two friends step through the portal and return to the magical island, where they reunite with the friends they made during their adventure.
This final moment gives the entire story a new meaning.
Forgotten Island What Does the Final Scene Mean?
The ending is really about the difference between holding on to someone and choosing to stay connected.
At the beginning, Jo is terrified that Raissa’s move to America will destroy their friendship. Her fear causes her to hide the sand dollar and prevent Raissa from leaving.
That decision nearly destroys the very relationship Jo is trying to protect.
By the end, Jo understands that friendship cannot be preserved by stopping another person from moving forward. Raissa can leave. She can attend college. Jo can build her own life. They can live in different places and still remain important to each other.
The final portal is therefore different from the first one.
The first trip to Nakali happens because Jo is afraid of losing Raissa. The final trip happens because both girls know that their friendship is strong enough to survive change.
They are no longer running away from growing up. They are choosing to return to the place that changed them.
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Why Memories Matter So Much in Forgotten Island
Memory is the film’s real supernatural currency.
Almost every major conflict comes back to the question of what people remember and what they are afraid of forgetting. Jo is afraid of forgetting the life she shared with Raissa. Batiba treats memories as possessions. Manang is driven by memories that have been taken from her. Raissa ultimately saves Jo by reminding her of the memories that made their friendship real.
That is also why the name Nakali works so well. The island is literally connected to the idea of being forgotten, while the entire story asks whether relationships can survive when circumstances change.
Forgotten Island and Filipino Folklore
One of the film’s biggest distinctions is its use of Filipino mythology as more than background decoration.
The world of Nakali includes creatures drawn from Philippine folklore, including the manananggal, tiyanak and batibat. Characters such as Raww and Bungi are also based on Filipino supernatural traditions, while the film surrounds the fantasy adventure with Filipino cultural details.
That cultural foundation is one reason the movie feels different from a standard DreamWorks fantasy adventure. The filmmakers are not simply sending familiar Western characters into an invented monster world. They are building the fantasy around stories, creatures and traditions connected to the Philippines.
That was also part of the film’s larger significance. Forgotten Island is being presented as the first major Hollywood animated feature to put Filipino culture and mythology at the center of its story.
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Forgotten Island |
| Year | 2026 |
| Studio | DreamWorks Animation |
| Directors | Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado |
| Main Characters | Jo and Raissa |
| Jo | Voiced by H.E.R. |
| Raissa | Voiced by Liza Soberano |
| Raww | Voiced by Dave Franco |
| Batiba | Voiced by Jenny Slate |
| Bungi | Voiced by Manny Jacinto |
| Manang | Voiced by Lea Salonga |
| Setting | 1990s Philippines and the magical island of Nakali |
| Genre | Animation, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy |
| Central Theme | Friendship, memory, growing up and letting go |
| Runtime | 1 hour 49 minutes |
| Release | September 25, 2026 in the United States |
| Ending | Jo and Raissa return home, remain friends and later return to Nakali by choice |
The film runs for 1 hour and 49 minutes and was released theatrically on September 25, 2026. Its main cast includes H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto and Lea Salonga.
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Is There a Forgotten Island Post-Credits Scene?
The ending itself provides the film’s meaningful final tease: Jo and Raissa can now return to Nakali whenever they choose. The available reports do not point to a major traditional post-credits scene setting up a direct sequel.
So if you are waiting for a huge Marvel-style reveal, the movie’s real continuation is already contained in its final scene. Jo and Raissa have found a way to keep Nakali and the friendships they made there as part of their lives.
Nakali comes from the Filipino word “nakalimutan,” which means “forgotten.” The name connects directly to the movie’s story because memories and the fear of being forgotten are central to the plot.
Raissa gets the wings after taking them from Manang, a manananggal. The stolen wings become one of the reasons Manang begins hunting the girls.
Batiba is a powerful creature who collects memories. She offers Jo and Raissa a way to return home, but she wants their friendship bracelets, which contain important memories of their relationship.