Directors Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford on the Filipino Roots of ‘Forgotten Island’

March 30, 2026 Mike Manalo

What a week it has been for Filipino representation! Last Wednesday, we got our first glimpse of Dreamworks Animation’s Forgotten Island. On Friday, we unveiled our intimate interview with superstars H.E.R and Liza Soberano. And today, we’re continuing the streak with our conversation with the directors of Forgotten Island and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford!

Animation, Interview, Movies

Feeling the Filipino Pride with H.E.R and Liza Soberano from ‘Forgotten Island’

March 27, 2026 Mike Manalo

This week, Dreamworks Animation and Universal dropped a historic trailer for Filipino film fans everywhere. They revealed the first official look at their latest feature, Forgotten Island; Hollywood’s first Filipino-centric animated feature.

Animation, Movies2 Comments

How Dreamworks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ Fosters Filipino Culture and Folklore

March 25, 2026March 25, 2026 Mike Manalo

I am a proud Filipino American nerd. As such, I grew up here in the US searching for, but never quite finding, mainstream Hollywood movies that propelled the voice of the Filipino community strongly.

Animation, Interview, Movies

Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Brooks, Awkwafina, and the Fun Chaotic Folks of ‘The Bad Guys 2’

August 1, 2025August 2, 2025 Michael Lee

The Bad Guys 2 is bigger, funnier, and has totally unhinged heists and action sequences. We got to talk to the cast and crew of the DreamWorks sequel: Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Pigtail Petrova (Maria Bakalova), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) and the director, Pierre Perifel. Our interviews below:

Animation, Movies, Reviews

‘The Bad Guys 2’ Walks a Fine Line Between Redemption and Hilarious Chaos

July 30, 2025 Michael Lee

The Bad Guys 2 delivers fast-paced action, high-concept heists, and plenty of laughs as the lovable criminal crew returns. Things are different this time as they find themselves teaming up with an all-female trio of criminals while struggling to prove they’ve truly turned over a new leaf.

Fantasy, Interview, Movies

Director Dean DeBlois and The Riders of Berk Discuss ‘How to Train Your Dragon’

June 12, 2025 Mike Manalo

We are soaring ever so close to the debut of How To Train Your Dragon! We have been fortunate all week to bring you interviews with stars Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, and Nick Frost. However, we’re not done yet! We’re proud to present to everyone our interviews with franchise mastermind, Dean DeBlois, and the Riders of Berk themselves, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Gabriel Howell, and Julian Dennison!

Fantasy, Interview, Movies

Berk’s Best Buds Gerard Butler and Nick Frost on ‘How to Train Your Dragon’

June 11, 2025 Mike Manalo

Being the Chieftain of Berk is a tough job. While other islands have pests like rats or mice, they have dragons. Which is why if you’re going to rule this sturdy Viking isle, you’re going to need the best right-hand man available (so to speak and pun intended). Enter How To Train Your Dragon stars, Gerard Butler’s Stoic the Vast and his most trusted friend, Nick Frost’s Gobber!

Fantasy, Interview, Movies1 Comment

Flying High with ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Stars Mason Thames and Nico Parker

June 9, 2025 Mike Manalo

Remaking a classic can be incredibly risky. However, when you’re Vikings, that’s just an occupational hazard! One that the cast and filmmakers of How to Train Your Dragon absolutely nailed, in one of this summer’s best blockbusters! All this week, we’ll be bringing you the most incredible interviews from all of them, starting with Hiccup and Astrid themselves, stars Mason Thames and Nico Parker!

Animation, Movies

Dreamworks Unveils Filipino Animated Film ‘Forgotten Island’ for September 2026

April 16, 2025April 16, 2025 Mike Manalo

Okay, this one is close to the heart for me. To date, there hasn’t been a single (long-form) animated film centered around Filipino mythology from any of the major Hollywood animation studios. However, as of today, Dreamworks Animation has finally announced, we have one coming!

Fantasy, Interview, Movies

Taking Flight at the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Trailer Event with Dean DeBlois

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025 Mike Manalo

How timeless is How to Train Your Dragon? The first film debuted almost 15 years ago, and the themes of prejudice and misjudgment could not be more relevant today than ever.

Animation, Streaming

Reasons Why ‘Voltron: Legendary Defender’ Will Remain Memorable

November 27, 2024November 27, 2024 Lauren Lola

Voltron: Legendary Defender is departing Netflix. That’s right. The DreamWorks 2016 reboot of the 1984 series that straight up opens each episode with the reveal that it’s “A Netflix Original Series” is being removed from the platform, six years following its series finale.

Animation, Interview, Movies

The Lovely Lupita Nyong’o on ‘The Wild Robot’ and the Power of Animation as Cinema

September 25, 2024 Mike Manalo

We have a huge one for you today, everyone! With Dreamworks’ new animated classic, The Wild Robot debuting this week, the Oscar race for Best Animated Feature has never been tighter. A huge part of why this movie is a masterpiece boils down to the wonderful work of Academy Award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, who brilliantly voices the titular “Wild Robot,” ROZZUM-7134 — aka “Roz.”

Animation, Movies

Getting Wild at ‘The Wild Robot’ Press Conference

September 23, 2024September 23, 2024 Mike Manalo

On Friday, one of the year’s best films will be hitting theaters. Dreamworks’ The Wild Robot, from director Chris Sanders, has been garnering terrific reviews (including one from myself) over the past few weeks, and it’s no secret why.

Animation, Movies, Reviews2 Comments

NOC Review: ‘The Wild Robot’ is a Future Animated Classic for the Ages

September 8, 2024September 9, 2024 Mike Manalo

Wow! Every year the Best Animated Feature race at the Oscars gets more and more difficult, and this year’s will definitely be a doozy. It’s hard to top a film like Inside Out 2. But I truly believe Dreamworks and writer/director Chris Sanders have managed to do just that with a beautiful, artistic triumph about love and parenthood called The Wild Robot.

Animation, Movies

New Trailer and Poster for Dreamworks’ ‘The Wild Robot’

June 11, 2024June 11, 2024 Mike Manalo

Chris Sanders is back! The latest from Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon director, The Wild Robot, is hitting theaters this September! And today, Dreamworks has released a gorgeous new poster and stunning trailer for the new movie starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o.

Animation, Movies

Filming Wraps on Dreamworks’ Live-Action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’

May 16, 2024May 17, 2024 Mike Manalo

It’s time to once again take flight to The Isle of Berk! As Dreamworks and Universal bring the magic of the classic How to Train Your Dragon trilogy to life in stunning live action next year!

Animation, Interview

‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Cast and Crew on Elevating the Franchise with New Voices and Improv

March 6, 2024March 6, 2024 Michael Lee

The Kung Fu Panda franchise has delighted a global audience for the past 16 years. While Po (Jack Black), the endearing panda, has faced great adversaries along his journey to becoming the dragon warrior while also imparting profound lessons of self-discovery, overcoming fear and the power of teamwork. But it wouldn’t be much an internal journey of growth and change without having friends and family by his side.

Animation, Movies

See the Trailer and Poster for Dreamworks ‘The Wild Robot’

March 5, 2024March 8, 2024 Mike Manalo

Wow! When I woke up this morning, the last thing I expected was to watch a trailer for a Dreamworks animated movie that would make me emotional. But today, Dreamworks Animation and Universal dropped a trailer and poster for their upcoming release, The Wild Robot. And simply put, it looks epic!

Animation, Interview2 Comments

NOC Interview: Awkwafina on Lunar New Year and ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’

February 26, 2024February 26, 2024 Dominic Mah

I got to talk with Awkwafina about her role as Zhen in Kung Fu Panda 4 from Dreamworks Animation, and her role as Grand Marshall of the San Francisco Lunar New Year Parade, which took place last Saturday to close out the Lunar New Year 2024 observance and celebration.

Animation, Movies, Trailers

‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Trailer Teases Po’s Quest Towards Spirituality

December 13, 2023March 7, 2024 Michael Lee

For the past 15 years, DreamWorks Animation has expanded the Kung Fu Panda franchise with fun and entertaining sequels as well as a more than a few televised series. Now, the studio has released a brand new trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ is the Best ‘Shrek’ Movie in Years

November 28, 2022November 28, 2022 Mike Manalo

Yes, it’s true that Dreamworks Animation has had to live in the shadow of Pixar Animation studios for some time. But I truly think audiences tend to underestimate them. The first two Shrek movies are terrific. The entire How to Train Your Dragon trilogy is a masterpiece (one of the few film trilogies ever where all entries are fantastic). And even the Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar franchises are well done. It seems the impact great filmmakers like Guillermo Del Toro and Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois has indeed (much like the fearless feline protagonist of the film this review is for) left an indelible mark. Because case in point, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is surprisingly quite good.

Animation, Movies

Watch the Official Trailer for ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’

March 15, 2022March 15, 2022 Sophia Soto

After first appearing in Shrek 2, Puss in Boots is returning for another adventure! Antonio Banderas will once again voice the character and this time be joined by Salma Hayek, Olivia Colman, Harvey Guillén, Samson Kayo, Wagner Moura, Anthony Mendez, John Mulaney, Florence Pugh, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Ray Winstone. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will be released in theaters on September 23.

Animation, Podcasts

The Middle Geeks Episode 7: The Prince of Egypt

November 30, 2019December 2, 2019 Swara Salih

This month on The Middle Geeks, we discuss Dreamworks’ 1998 masterpiece, The Prince of Egypt. Why does this film resonate so much with people, including and besides its religious aspects? We discuss the representation aspects of the film, how it did well at depicting the ancient Middle East, and how the rich character drama and design holds it up today. We also give the deets on the delicious food at our Middle Eastern households during Thanksgiving and give our recommendations! (We start our The Prince of Egypt discussion at the 7:10 mark.)

Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 7: The Prince of Egypt”