The upcoming animated film brings together ’90s nostalgia, and music from BINI, SB19, Lea Salonga, Sophia Laforteza, and more.
DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island already has a lot going on: Filipino folklore, a 1990s setting, a story about best friends growing apart—and now, a soundtrack filled with Filipino and Filipino-American artists.
According to an exclusive report by Variety, the film’s music features H.E.R., BINI, Lea Salonga, KATSEYE’s Sophia Laforteza, SB19, Ruby Ibarra, and Carl Angelo. The soundtrack also draws from the sounds of the 1980s and 1990s, which fits the film’s setting and its coming-of-age feel.
The film stars H.E.R. and Liza Soberano as Jo and Raissa, two best friends who are fresh out of high school and about to take different paths. Before life pulls them apart, they spend one last night together. What begins with food, karaoke, and hanging out turns into something much stranger when they enter a portal to Nakali, a hidden island shaped by Filipino folklore.
There, Jo and Raissa encounter shapeshifters, demons, witches, monsters, and other creatures inspired by stories many Filipinos grew up hearing.
Related story:DreamWorks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ brings Filipino folklore to the big screen this September
One last night before everything changes
In the 1990s, that distance felt even bigger because there were no group chats, video calls, or social media updates to keep everyone casually connected. The film may involve portals and monsters, but the emotional conflict is something we can all relate to: Jo and Raissa know their friendship is about to change, and neither of them seems ready for it.
Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado said in an interview that the film was inspired by friendship, family, and the women in their lives. Crawford, who has two teenage daughters, said he wanted to show young girls in a way that felt more honest and less limited to the usual stories about crushes or princess-like arcs.
Mercado, who is Filipino-American, also drew from his own memories of family and visits to the Philippines in the 1990s. That influence shows in the film’s details, from lechon and karaoke to jeepneys, food, and family gatherings.
Related story: REVIEW: Why ‘Toy Story 5’ feels especially personal to millennials
The stories Filipino kids heard growing up
Nakali, the island Jo and Raissa enter, is built around Filipino folklore.
For Filipino viewers, some of the creatures may feel familiar right away. These are the stories people heard from parents, grandparents, or neighbors, usually told as warnings before bedtime or during brownouts.
One of the film’s biggest folklore figures is the Manananggal, voiced by Lea Salonga. In Filipino mythology, the Manananggal is often described as a creature that separates its upper body from its lower body and flies at night.
It is one of the most recognizable monsters in Filipino folklore, which makes its inclusion in a major DreamWorks film interesting on its own. Filipino mythology has always had enough strange, scary, and dramatic creatures for animation.
Lea Salonga as the manananggal? Say less
Lea Salonga voicing the dreaded manananggal is easily one of the film’s most surprising casting choices.
Salonga is already part of animation history as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine and Mulan. In Forgotten Island, she voices one of the Philippines’ most feared mythological creatures. The voice cast also includes Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Jenny Slate, and Dave Franco.
The soundtrack pulls from different Filipino sounds
BINI performs a new song titled “A Parallel World,” produced by Nathan Matthew David and Shawn Wasabi. The song is connected to the friendship theme of Jo and Raissa.
KATSEYE’s Sophia Laforteza also performs a new version of INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart.” In the film, the original version represents Jo and Raissa’s friendship when they were younger, while Sophia’s version reflects how that friendship changes as they grow up.
H.E.R. and Liza Soberano also headlined the film’s title track, “BRB.” H.E.R. wrote the song after seeing the film and later brought in Soberano. The song also includes Tagalog, which is exciting at this point already!
SB19 will also appear on the soundtrack with a cover of Francis M.’s “Mga Kababayan.” Ruby Ibarra and Carl Angelo perform “Salbahe Ako,” while the soundtrack also includes DMX’s “Party Up” and Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out,” giving the film a clear ’90s and early 2000s energy.
Related story: Bong Joon Ho’s animated film ‘Ally’ gets first look, title, and a release window
Related story: This is NOT the way: Why ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ was enjoyable but far from epic
The score goes deeper than nostalgia
Beyond the main songs, the film’s score also uses Filipino musical elements.
Composer Nathan Matthew David told Variety that the score uses analog synths to reflect the film’s 1980s and 1990s influences. But once Jo and Raissa enter Nakali, the music changes.
The score includes traditional Filipino instruments, Filipino choir vocals, Tagalog phrases, chanters, the Las Piñas bamboo pipe organ, and sounds connected to Indigenous Filipino communities. For the Manananggal, David used the gandingan, a traditional gong from the southern Philippines. It is a specific choice, and it suggests that the film is thinking about Filipino culture through sound, not just visuals.
The real story is still the friendship
Forgotten Island has many familiar Filipino details: folklore, karaoke, family gatherings, jeepneys, food, Tagalog, P-pop, OPM, and mythological creatures that have been part of local stories for generations. But the film seems to be using those details around a simpler story. Jo and Raissa are best friends facing the possibility that growing up might change everything between them.
Forgotten Island is set to open in theaters on September 25. With H.E.R. and Liza Soberano leading the film, Lea Salonga voicing the Manananggal, and a soundtrack featuring BINI, SB19, Sophia Laforteza, there is already a lot to be curious about.
Watch the full trailer below:
Related story: CinemaCon 2026: Every big announcement you need to know
Related story: Moana moves to live-action: Disney debuts first look with familiar faces and fresh framing
Related story: Spider-Man: Brand New Day—what we know, fan theories, and what to expect
