DreamWorks' Forgotten Island looks like one of the more interesting animated movies coming up this year, but its latest trailer has left people divided. The new preview reveals a surprising twist in the movie's animation style, showing that some sequences will use an anime-inspired 2D aesthetic.
For some, the decision feels exciting and creative, taking the movie in a unique and expressive direction, but some viewers aren't so sure.
Forgotten Island tells the story of high school graduates Jo and Raissa, who find themselves transported to a magical island where they begin to forget their memories of their friendship together. Several characters on the island are directly inspired by traditional Filipino legends and folk tales.
The film is written and directed by Academy Award nominee Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, and is produced by Mark Swift. H.E.R. and Liza Soberano star as Jo and Raissa, respectively. Dave Franco voices Raww the weredog, and Lea Salonga voices the Manananggal.
We had already seen a glimpse of Forgotten Island's bold character design and vibrant environment art in a previous teaser, but the latest trailer (above) reveals an even more surprising look for some sections. There are 2D animation sequences that recall the expressive energy of 1980s and 90s Saturday morning cartoons, creating a striking consrast for flashbacks.
This should feel like a breath of fresh air for those complaining about the ubiquitous 3D animation style popularised by Disney and Pixar. For some, it's what Disney's Hexed should look like, especially amid all the controversy about the framing of the Hexed trailer.
But some are concerned that, rather than original and creative, the style borrows heavily from eastern animation traditions in a way that verges from pastiche towards lazy copying or even cultural colonialism.
"I am excited for this movie, but something about 'anime inspired' scenes like this are cringe," one person writes on X. "Like animators working on these films don’t understand why anime is loved and boil the genre down to 'wacky faces, fast movement, and over the top voices!' It’s insulting."
Another person goes further. "Western animation studios constantly using 'anime-inspired' sequences feels like a lazy shortcut to look cool instead of actually developing their own unique art styles."
"DreamWorks' flick is just Hollywood colonizing Asian culture AGAIN while slapping anime filters on it to trick kids. Two girls have to erase their friendship to escape? Lmao, peak 2026 therapy bait," another person writes.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
Forgotten Island will be released on September 25.
