A creative, chaotic 'Forgotten Island'

Forgotten Island, DreamWorks latest animated feature, operates at peak creative levels, offering a parade of vividly colored, fantastical creatures that pop off the screen, often with boosts of comic energy. Beginning in the Philippines in the 1990s, the story -- written and directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) -- introduces two schoolgirls: rebellious Jo (H.E.R.) and studious Raissa (Liza Soberano). Mischief-prone best friends, Jo and Raissa constantly being sent to the principal's office. Motivated by folk tales told by her grandmother (Dolly de Leon), Jo dreams of a magical island of Nakali. Her soon-to-be realized dream allows the movie to make ample use of Filipino lore. Grandma passes on, but the girls remain best friends until high school graduation when Raissa announces that she’s headed to Caltech. For her part, Jo -- still a dreamer -- is left working for a chicken franchise, sometimes in a chicken costume. Throughout the movie, she…