Tag: Januel Mercado

Animation, Interview, Movies1 Comment

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

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!

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Animation, Interview, Movies

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

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.

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Animation, Movies2 Comments

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

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.

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Animation, Movies

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

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!

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