Directors Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado have confirmed they are already planning a sequel to their original animated film Forgotten Island, which follows Filipino teenagers discovering a fabled island. The confirmation represents a significant moment for original storytelling in animation, a space increasingly dominated by established franchises from studios like Pixar and Illumination. The film has been in development for six years, beginning in 2020 after the directors completed work on The Croods: A New Age, before they paused to create Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

The story was inspired by the directors' personal friendship and their cultural connections—Crawford's wife is Filipino and Mercado is Filipino-American. Beyond the narrative, the film is notable for its technical innovations, blending 2D hand-drawn elements with 3D animation, particularly in character expressions influenced by anime aesthetics. Crawford and Mercado emphasised that the film celebrates female friendship during a transitional period in life, centring unsung heroes and cultures that have historically lacked mainstream representation.