'Forgotten Island' earns five-minute standing ovation at Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Dreamworks' Forgotten Island is already getting love!
The film about Filipino folklore had a surprise screening at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 24. Co-directors and co-writers Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford were present at the event.
Several videos of the audience's reaction to Forgotten Island made the rounds online. Dreamworks confirmed to PhilSTAR L!fe that the fantasy flick received a five-minute standing ovation from the crowd in France.
"Merci, Annecy!" Crawford wrote in an Instagram story, sharing photos from when they took the stage.
In an interview posted on the Annecy Festival's Instagram, the duo shared why their story revolves around friendship.
"It's always an important story about connections and friends, but now more than ever, we're living in a time where disconnection and loneliness are the biggest problems. So taking on a story that celebrates the people in your lives and reminds you to be there for them felt so important and timely for us," Crawford said.
Forgotten Island follows the tale of two lifelong best friends, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), who become stranded on the mystical world of Nakali. To escape, they must outwit the Dreaded Manananggal (Lea Salonga). But the supernatural creature isn't the only thing they're going up against: the duo must race against time, as the longer they stay on the island, the more their memories of each other fade away.
The film features several Filipino and Filipino-American stars, including Dolly de Leon, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy, Amielynn Abellera, and Sophia Laforteza. Also in the cast are Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, and Ronny Chieng.
Its soundtrack will include music from BINI, Salonga, SB19, H.E.R., and Katseye's Laforteza.
Universal Pictures is set to release Forgotten Island theatrically on Sept. 25 later this year.
