DreamWorks Animation has released a new trailer for Forgotten Island! Having seen an unfinished version at CinemaCon, I can say this latest look does a fantastic job of capturing exactly why the film hit me so hard without giving away too much. It is funny, visually dazzling, emotionally rich, and rooted in a friendship that feels deeply personal.
The trailer sells the scale, the mythology, and the charm of Nakali. But more importantly, it teases the emotional engine at the center of the movie. This is not just another fantasy adventure. It is a story about two best friends trying to hold onto each other as life threatens to pull them apart. And that is exactly what makes it special.
Nakali Looks as Magical as It Felt in the Room
The trailer wisely leans into the world of Nakali, the fantastical island where Jo and Raissa are transported on the eve of their lives changing forever. DreamWorks is clearly having a blast with the mythology, creatures, and larger-than-life adventure, and the footage makes the island feel colorful, dangerous, and alive. That part absolutely lands.
But what impressed me most after seeing earlier footage at CinemaCon is how much this movie balances spectacle with sincerity. Even in unfinished form, Forgotten Island was deeply moving and wildly entertaining, and this trailer gets that across. It shows enough of the wonder to hook families and enough of the emotional tension to suggest there is something more resonant underneath all the fantasy chaos.
The Friendship Is the Real Hook
That is the part the trailer gets right without overplaying its hand. Jo and Raissa are not just adventure leads. They are lifelong best friends standing at the edge of adulthood, and the emotional threat of losing each other gives the movie its real power. The official setup reveals that the cost of returning home may be the memories of their friendship, which is such a strong, emotionally loaded concept that it instantly gives the film more weight than a standard portal fantasy.
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H.E.R. and Liza Soberano also feel like a huge part of why this works. Their characters need to feel bonded enough for the audience to care about what is being lost, and the trailer makes that connection feel believable. Add in Dave Franco as the well-meaning weredog Raww and Lea Salonga as The Dreaded Manananggal, and the film looks like it has both the heart and the personality to really land.
DreamWorks Has Something Special With Forgotten Island
Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, are writing and directing, and that pedigree shows. There is a strong sense here that Forgotten Island is not chasing noise for its own sake. It wants to be thrilling, funny, and visually exciting, but it also wants to leave a mark emotionally. Based on what I saw at CinemaCon, that is exactly what it does, and this trailer is a smart preview of that balance.
Forgotten Island opens only in theaters on September 25, 2026. Fans can watch the new trailer now, with the full film arriving exclusively on the big screen this fall.
Are you sold on Forgotten Island from this new trailer? Does the friendship angle make this hit a little harder for you than a typical animated adventure? And which part of the footage stood out most to you, the mythology, the emotion, or the sheer visual scale? Share your thoughts in the comments or @me.
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