DreamWorks Animation is releasing Forgotten Island, a new fantasy-musical film that industry watchers expect to appeal strongly to fans of Netflix's breakout hit Kpop Demon Hunters. The comparison matters because Kpop Demon Hunters became Netflix's most-watched title ever, and with a sequel likely years away, Forgotten Island offers a similarly themed dose of demons, music and female friendship in the meantime.

Directed by Puss in Boots: The Last Wish co-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the film is set in the Philippines in the 1990s and follows best friends Jo (voiced by H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), who stumble through a portal into the mystical realm of Nakali the night before Raissa leaves for Caltech. There they meet creatures drawn from Philippine mythology, voiced by actors including Lea Salonga and Manny Jacinto, and, in a plot echoing The Hangover, must piece together a forgotten night before Raissa's flight home. The film features extensive original and licensed music, shares an anime-influenced visual style with Kpop Demon Hunters, and is themed around enduring friendship. Forgotten Island opens in cinemas on 25 September.