‘Spider-Man meets The Hangover’ is at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes — the best-reviewed film DreamWorks has ever made
Forgotten Island comes from the Puss in Boots: The Last Wish directors and opens in UK cinemas on 25 September.
If you thought DreamWorks Animation might start coasting any time soon, think again. After more than thirty years of cranking out some of animation’s biggest hitters, they’ve just dropped what’s apparently their boldest project yet. Celebrating their 50th film, they’ve pulled in the duo behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish to helm a wild fantasy adventure, blending Philippine mythology with the sort of proper daft chaos you’d expect if you mashed up Spider-Man and The Hangover. And it’s already being called their best work. Not just of the year—possibly ever, if early critics are to be believed.
Forgotten Island currently holds a perfect 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, marking it as the studio’s best-reviewed film to date.
A Cursed, Comedic Journey
The directors, Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, have cooked up Forgotten Island—which follows two best mates, Jo and Raissa, after they trip through a portal and land smack in the middle of Nakali, a myth-drenched island straight out of Filipino folklore. Unsurprisingly, nothing goes to plan: magic, monsters, curses, the lot. The core tension? If they don’t escape quickly, the island will wipe their memories for good.
The promo material is unashamedly bonkers—trailer glimpses show all manner of fantastical creatures, dazzling backdrops, and action that barely stops for breath. So no one should go in expecting a slow burn.
Critical Reaction: Overwhelmingly Positive
The embargo finally lifted and right out the gates, critics called it a masterpiece. Forgotten Island has shot straight to a spotless 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, standing tall above every previous DreamWorks effort—including fan-favourites How to Train Your Dragon and the recent The Wild Robot. Yes, that includes Shrek’s lot too. Whether the number will stick as more reviews come in, well, let’s not tempt fate, but for now: absolute critical consensus.
- Forgotten Island (2026): 100% critics (21 reviews and counting)
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010): 99% critics
- The Wild Robot (2024): 97% critics
- Chicken Run (2000): 97% critics
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022): 95% critics
- Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): 95% critics
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014): 92% critics
Read more: Tom Hiddleston has never had reviews like these — his Everest film is sitting at 100%
What’s actually impressed reviewers so much? First, that breakneck, energetic style—it’s being compared directly to Across the Spider-Verse for sheer frenetic ambition (a risky approach that’s rubbed some up the wrong way before, but here, it apparently works). The visuals nod to anime, Studio Ghibli, and the kinetic, stylised sensibility of Spider-Verse. IGN summed it up as "a family friendly version of The Hangover" that manages to land an emotional punch as well. Meanwhile, Hollywood Reporter and the Sydney Morning Herald both pointed out that beneath the spectacle, you get a genuinely thoughtful, heartfelt story, and a real care for the Filipino culture it’s rooted in—so it’s not all flash and noise.
The Release Date—And What’s Next
The film opens in UK cinemas on 25 September 2026. That’s not long for DreamWorks fans to wait—and based on this absolute wall of glowing praise, expectations will be through the roof. Not many milestone releases actually live up to the hype, but this one just might, if the first twenty-one critics are anything to go by.