Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford discuss Forgotten Island, Filipino roots and DreamWorks magic

Hollywood First Look is with Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford, co-directors and real-life best friends, talking about their upcoming film, Forgotten Island. The animated feature is the first of its kind, featuring an all-Filipino voice cast and a story set in the Philippines.

In this exclusive interview, they share (and more):
How their families feel about working on this project and how it connects them
If they could erase their memories and re-experience any Dreamworks Animated film again, which one would it be and why

Featured in this video:
Januel Mercado
Joel Crawford

Forgotten Island is in theaters September 25, 2026.

FOLLOW US:
hollywoodfirstlook.com
instagram.com/hollywoodfirstlook
facebook.com/HollywoodFirstLook
tiktok.com/@hollywoodfirstlook

Correspondent/Producer: Kiyra Lynn
instagram.com/kiyralynn
tiktok.com/@kiyralynn

Senior Producer: Kiyra Lynn
Editor: Mickey Martinez

#ForgottenIsland #JanuelMercado #JoelCrawford