Forgotten Island Budget

What Is the Budget of Forgotten Island?

Forgotten Island, DreamWorks Animation's fantasy adventure comedy released on September 25, 2026, carries a reported production budget of $80,000,000. Neither DreamWorks Animation nor Universal Pictures has confirmed the figure in an official statement, but it sits squarely within the studio's typical mid-tier budget range for an original theatrical feature, in line with several of its recent releases (see the comparisons below).

The film spent roughly six years in development, with directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado leading hundreds of artists across studios in the Philippines and the United States. Universal Pictures released it wide across 3,548 theaters as DreamWorks Animation's 50th animated feature.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

With no official cost breakdown published, Forgotten Island's spending can be read from how it was made. Its main cost drivers are the ones an original CG animated fantasy of this scale depends on:

• Animation and Visual Effects Production: nearly six years of full CG animation spanned studios in the Philippines and the United States, the single largest cost driver on an original animated feature of this scope.
• Above-the-Line Creative Team: an Oscar-nominated producer in Mark Swift, joined by writer-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, commanded a premium as the team behind one of DreamWorks Animation's best-reviewed recent films.
• Voice Cast: a wide ensemble led by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano, with Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy, Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon in supporting roles, adds both star power and a cross-cultural marketing hook.
• Original Score: composer Nathan Matthew David scored the film's fantasy sequences and its Filipino folklore-inspired musical themes.
• Marketing and Worldwide Distribution: Universal Pictures handled the theatrical rollout across 3,548 domestic theaters, following the film's festival premiere at Annecy earlier in 2026.

How Does Forgotten Island's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

Forgotten Island's $80,000,000 budget places it in the middle of DreamWorks Animation's recent output, well below the studio's biggest franchise tentpoles but in line with its original theatrical features:

• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022): Budget $90,000,000 | Worldwide $484,700,000. The previous film from directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and producer Mark Swift, it shows what the same creative team achieved with a slightly larger budget when reviews and word of mouth aligned.
• The Wild Robot (2024): Budget $78,000,000 | Worldwide $331,982,078. DreamWorks Animation's closest recent budget peer to Forgotten Island, and proof that a strong critical reception can carry an animated original to a long, profitable theatrical run.
• The Bad Guys (2022): Budget $80,000,000 | Worldwide $250,162,278. An identical budget for an original DreamWorks Animation property, its more modest worldwide total is closer to what Forgotten Island would need for a solid, if unspectacular, outcome.
• Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024): Budget $80,000,000 | Worldwide $548,040,835. The exact same budget as Forgotten Island but attached to an established franchise, illustrating the ceiling brand recognition adds that an original story does not start with.

Forgotten Island Box Office Performance

Forgotten Island opened in North America on September 25, 2026, across 3,548 theaters through Universal Pictures, debuting in fifth place with $12,800,000 over its first three days, according to Box Office Mojo. The weekend broke down to $4,370,000 on Friday, a $4,960,000 Saturday, typical of family animation's midweekend bump, and $3,470,000 on Sunday. Early international engagements brought the worldwide total to $20,649,000 through the opening weekend.

As of September 27, 2026, that gross reflects only Forgotten Island's opening weekend domestically plus a handful of early international markets; the film is still in the first days of its theatrical run, and both totals will keep climbing as it expands overseas through the fall. The opening is markedly softer than The Wild Robot's $35,790,150 domestic debut in September 2024 despite comparable critical reception, and DreamWorks Animation will need strong word of mouth and a long, holiday-adjacent run to close that gap. A 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and an A CinemaScore give the film a foundation to build from, and streaming and home-entertainment revenue typically extend an animated original's lifetime economics well beyond its theatrical run.

At -84%, "Forgotten Island" returned roughly $0.16 for every $1 invested.

Forgotten Island Production History

DreamWorks Animation announced Forgotten Island in April 2025, with Joel Crawford attached to write and direct alongside Januel Mercado, previously co-director on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Forgotten Island is Mercado's solo directorial debut; Crawford had earlier served as head of story on The Croods: A New Age before directing Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Mark Swift, an Oscar nominee for producing Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, produced Forgotten Island as well, reuniting the team behind one of DreamWorks Animation's best-reviewed recent films.

The production took roughly six years to complete, with hundreds of animators and artists working across studios in the Philippines and the United States. Crawford has said the film draws on his wife's Filipino heritage and family stories, and Forgotten Island leans directly into Filipino mythology and folklore for its setting and characters. The film marks DreamWorks Animation's 50th animated feature.

Forgotten Island premiered to a five-minute standing ovation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2026 ahead of its wide theatrical release. Universal Pictures released it in North America on September 25, 2026, across 3,548 theaters.

Awards and Recognition

As a film only days into its theatrical run, Forgotten Island has not yet factored into major awards-season shortlists. Its most significant recognition to date is the five-minute standing ovation it received at its Annecy International Animation Film Festival premiere earlier in 2026, along with a rare 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and an A CinemaScore that have positioned it as an early talking point in the animated feature conversation heading into the fall festival and awards calendar.

Critical Reception

Forgotten Island opened to some of the strongest reviews of any DreamWorks Animation release, holding a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 91 critics with an average score of 7.9 out of 10, and a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100 from 22 critics, in the generally favorable range. Audiences responded just as strongly, awarding the film an A CinemaScore.

Critics singled out the film's ambition and specificity, describing it as a dazzling, deeply personal ode to friendship and Filipino folklore that stands among DreamWorks Animation's finest work. The reception has also been framed as a significant moment for Filipino representation in mainstream Hollywood animation, a distinction reviewers noted alongside the film's craft.