Forgotten Island
📖 SUMMARY
Two best friends, Jo and Raissa, are growing up in the Philippines in the nineties. Raissa is about to leave for college in America, and right before she goes, the girls find a magic sand dollar that pulls them into Nakali, an island from Filipino folklore where everybody who arrives starts losing their memories. So they have to find their way home before they forget each other. It's from the directors of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, it's rated PG, it runs 1 hour 48 minutes, and it's beautiful to look at.
👶 AGE RECOMMENDATIONS
💛 HOW IT MADE ME FEEL
I saw this one with my Mom, and neither of us liked it. On paper it sounds like a sweet friendship movie for the whole family, and critics are giving it 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, so I went in expecting to love it. But it felt dark to me. It's creepy in a way that felt unnecessary, a lot of it felt suggestive in a way I don't understand in a kids' movie, and the whole thing felt heavy and negative. When the credits rolled, my Mom told me it made her feel yucky, and protective over any kids who might see it. And the thing I kept asking myself the whole way home was who this movie was made for, because I don't think it's for little kids, and I'm not sure it's for grown-ups either.
The Popcorn & Prayers Movie Filter
CONTENT
There's a merman, and the camera zooms in on his bare chest, and his nipples are covered by starfish that talk. I've seen silly things like that in SpongeBob, but the way this movie zooms in and emphasises things made it feel different. Jo's "crown" turns out to be a giant's nipple ring, the merman says he thinks the villain is "hot," and Jo draws a comic of Raissa with two muscly love interests.
Jo carries a butterfly knife at school, when I think the girls are supposed to be around 10 or 12, and she has it throughout the whole movie. At one point it ends up jammed in another character's leg, and it's played for a laugh. Jo also punches a classmate in the face during class, and the dog-man character gets beaten up over and over as a running gag. The villain attacks and chases the girls again and again.
More than I'd expect for a PG kids' movie. There's "damn," "hell," "crap," "frickin," "nards" and "bunghole," plus a couple of cut-off "son of a…" lines.
The villain, Manang, is based on the Manananggal from Filipino folklore, a winged creature with glowing eyes, claws and fangs who breathes fire, and she rips her own body in half and puts herself back together. Another character talks about feasting on corpses and bathing in the blood of victims. There's also a three-eyed demon baby and a giant bird monster, and the movie calls several of its characters demons, like the demon baby and the Memory Demon.
This is the section that decides it for most families, so I'll be direct. The thing that bothered me first was the butterfly knife. Jo carries it at school and it's played as a cool part of her personality, and impressionable kids tend to copy what the fun character does, and Jo is the fun character. Then there's the suggestive material, which felt like it was there on purpose, and the demons, which I didn't love. As a mom, I don't want my little ones cheering for "demons" as the cute sidekicks. For a PG movie with bright colours and talking animals, there is a lot in here that younger kids shouldn't be watching.
CELEBRATION
At the end of the day, this movie wants us to cheer for friendship. The whole story is built around Jo and Raissa fighting to hold on to each other before they forget each other, and that's a good thing to cheer for. But along the way, the movie keeps showing terrible behaviour and calling it "being free." Jo punches a classmate in the face during class, she carries a butterfly knife everywhere, and the girls get back at a bully by vandalizing his car with Jo's grandmother helping them do it. So I think an impressionable kid could walk out of this movie wanting to cheer for being a menace, because the menace is the fun, confident character they're supposed to love.
CONSCIENCE
Philippians 4:8 asks us to think on whatever is pure and lovely, and I've learned to pay attention to how a movie sits in my spirit afterwards. In John 16, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, so when a movie leaves that uneasy feeling in my spirit, I pay attention to it. This one sat heavy with both of us, and my Mom walked out feeling protective over any kids who might see it.
FRUIT
Mostly this movie left me feeling that heaviness, because so much of it was dark and negative. The one good thing I took home was the ending, where the girls realize how important a friend can be in your life. That part was sweet, and I wish the rest of the film had been built to hold it.
WORLDVIEW
The movie's idea of a good life is freedom, and freedom here mostly means doing whatever you want. Jo is the hero because she's bold and rule-breaking, and the story rewards her for it, with the adults in her life cheering her on. The folklore world of Nakali is full of lies, betrayal and demonic creatures, and the movie treats all of that as fun and spooky set dressing. The friendship at the centre is the one place where the film points at something true.
ECHOES OF THE GOSPEL
The friendship message is the best thing about this movie. Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 says, "Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." That's what Jo and Raissa find at the end, and it's worth talking about with your kids, because God made us for friendship and faithful friends are a gift from Him. The villain's ending is where I wanted more. (Spoilers here.) At the end, we find out that Manang was mostly evil because her good memories were stolen from her. She gets them back, and she softens, and she looks calmer, and then she flies away. We never find out what piece of herself was missing, or what those memories were, so it didn't feel meaningful to me. I love a redemption story, and the Bible is full of them. In Ezekiel 36:26 God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you," and when He changes someone, we get to see what was broken and what He did about it. That's what makes a redemption story move you, and this one skipped that part.
💬 FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Jo is the "fun" character in the movie. Were the things she did actually good choices? Why do you think the movie made them look cool?
- The movie calls breaking rules and getting revenge "being free." What does real freedom look like, according to Galatians 5:13?
- Raissa tells Jo that she makes her soar. Who is a friend in your life who helps you up when you fall?
- The villain changes in just a few seconds at the end. What does it look like when God gives someone a new heart?
✨ POSITIVITY
- The ending has a touching moment where the girls realize how important a friend can be in your life
- Raissa tells Jo, "Without you, I'm nothing. You don't drag me down, you make me soar."
- The whole story is built around two friends fighting to hold on to each other
- It's beautiful to look at, and the voice cast is great
⚠️ THINGS TO NOTE
- The main character carries a butterfly knife at school and all through the movie, and it's played as cool
- Bad behaviour is framed as "being free," including punching a classmate and vandalizing a bully's car with Grandma's help
- A close-up on a bare-chested merman whose nipples are covered by talking starfish, plus a nipple-ring "crown"
- Characters are called demons, including a demon baby and the Memory Demon
- A frightening villain who tears her own body in half, and talk of feasting on corpses and bathing in blood
- Language including "damn," "hell," "crap," "nards" and "bunghole"
- A joke where Jo says "What's up, Jesus?" to a picture of Jesus
One more thing…
So who is Forgotten Island for? The bright colours, the talking animals and the potty humour all say little kids, but the demons, the scary villain, the language and the suggestive jokes say they shouldn't be watching it. And for adults, there wasn't enough underneath the story to make up for all of that. So my Mom and I both walked out not knowing who it was made for. Like always, you get to decide what's okay for your family, and what's okay in my spirit might not be okay in yours. But if you have little ones, I'd pray about this one before you buy the tickets, and maybe watch it yourself first.
💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Forgotten Island OK for kids?+
It's rated PG and we think it's best for 14+. On our 1–5 Pop Score, Forgotten Island earns a 1/5. Critics love it. My Mom and I walked out feeling yucky, and I'm still not sure who this movie was made for.
What age is Forgotten Island appropriate for?+
Here's our age-by-age take for Forgotten Island — 0-9: Skip; 10-13: Skip; 14+: Maybe. Overall we'd say it's best for 14+.
What should parents know about Forgotten Island?+
Content notes for Forgotten Island — Romance — strong: There's a merman, and the camera zooms in on his bare chest, and his nipples are covered by starfish that talk. I've seen silly things like that in SpongeBob, but the way this movie zooms in and emphasises things made it feel different. Jo's "crown" turns out to be a giant's nipple ring, the merman says he thinks the villain is "hot," and Jo draws a comic of Raissa with two muscly love interests.. Violence — strong: Jo carries a butterfly knife at school, when I think the girls are supposed to be around 10 or 12, and she has it throughout the whole movie. At one point it ends up jammed in another character's leg, and it's played for a laugh. Jo also punches a classmate in the face during class, and the dog-man character gets beaten up over and over as a running gag. The villain attacks and chases the girls again and again.. Language — strong: More than I'd expect for a PG kids' movie. There's "damn," "hell," "crap," "frickin," "nards" and "bunghole," plus a couple of cut-off "son of a…" lines.. Scary/intense — severe: The villain, Manang, is based on the Manananggal from Filipino folklore, a winged creature with glowing eyes, claws and fangs who breathes fire, and she rips her own body in half and puts herself back together. Another character talks about feasting on corpses and bathing in the blood of victims. There's also a three-eyed demon baby and a giant bird monster, and the movie calls several of its characters demons, like the demon baby and the Memory Demon..
What is the Popcorn & Prayers Pop Score for Forgotten Island?+
Forgotten Island earns a Pop Score of 1 out of 5 from Hailey: "Critics love it. My Mom and I walked out feeling yucky, and I'm still not sure who this movie was made for."
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