Torino, Italy – VIEW Conference is thrilled to announce a special presentation at VIEW Conference 2026 celebrating the release of “Forgotten Island,” the new original animated feature from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation, releasing in theaters September 25, 2026.
The presentation is led by Joel Crawford (Oscar-nominated for “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) and Januel P. Mercado, the writers/directors of “Forgotten Island.” Taking the stage together in Turin, they will discuss the creative journey they undertook, and share stories and insights about the production of this highly anticipated animated film.
An English speaking event, VIEW Conference 2026 takes place 12-16 October, 2026. Registration is now open. Visit the official VIEW Conference website for further details and to book tickets:
While celebrating their last night together, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families.
Some of these figures will become friends, some foes. Joined by well-meaning-but-hapless weredog Raww (Dave Franco) and a small-but-mighty pack of pals, Jo and Raissa must face The Dreaded Manananggal (Lea Salonga), the most feared creature on the island. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.
“I am always excited to see a movie that celebrates human emotion and diversity while exploring the furthest boundaries of art,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I know that ‘Forgotten Island’ will be such a movie, and I cannot wait for Joel and Januel to share their filmmaking journey with our international audience in the gorgeous city of Turin this October.”
About Joel Crawford
At the age five, after being given a stack of computer paper by his grandmother so he could pass the time “doodling” while recovering in the hospital from a fall (resulting in the amputation of two toes!), Joel Crawford started to sketch… and he hasn’t stopped since!
Influenced as a young kid by the 1988 animated cyberpunk action film “Akira” by Katsuhiro Otomo, Crawford knew at early age that he loved animation. Citing the works of Sergio Leone’s groundbreaking “Dollars Trilogy” along with the films of Akira Kurosawa, Crawford began to develop his own style of visual storytelling.
Crawford is currently in production on “Forgotten Island,” which he will write and direct alongside long-time collaborator Januel P. Mercado. The film stars H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, and Lea Salonga. Universal Pictures will release the film in theaters on September 25, 2026.
On his most recent project, Crawford was able to marry his passion for the spaghetti western with his love of absurdist comedy as director of the of the 2023 Academy Award®, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominated film “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek Pinault from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures. A hit with both critics and audiences, the film amassed nearly half a billion dollars at the global box office.
He made his feature film directorial debut on the DreamWorks Animation feature film “The Croods: A New Age.” After serving as Head of Story for the smash musical adventure “Trolls” in 2016, Crawford directed the “Trolls Holiday Special” for NBC.
Crawford joined DreamWorks Animation in 2006 and quickly became an integral part of the creative process working as a story artist on “Trolls,” “Shrek Forever After,” “Rise of the Guardians,” “Bee Movie” and all three “Kung Fu Panda” films. Prior to joining DreamWorks, his story artist credits include “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” and “Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.”
A native of Southern California (via Hawaii), Crawford attended The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). To make ends meet while in school, he worked as a caricature artist at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, before joining Nickelodeon. Crawford is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, and ASIFA-Hollywood. In 2023, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in recognition of his contributions to the field of animation.
About Januel P. Mercado
For Januel P. Mercado, the idea of working in the medium of animation, where storytelling is only limited by your imagination, was cemented when he first saw the classic 2D animated film, “The Little Mermaid.” Throughout his career, he has credited the influences of filmmaking titans such as Spielberg, Miyazaki, Tarantino, and Kurosawa for helping to shape his visual and storytelling sensibilities.
He is currently in production on “Forgotten Island,” which will mark his directorial debut. Mercado will write and direct alongside long-time collaborator Joel Crawford. The film stars H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, and Lea Salonga. Universal Pictures will release the film in theaters on September 25, 2026.
Most recently, Mercado served co-director on the Academy Award® and BAFTA nominated film “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek Pinault from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures. A hit with both critics and audiences, the film amassed nearly half a billion dollars at the global box office.
Mercado joined the story department of DreamWorks Animation in 2008 and has contributed his talents as a story artist on number of iconic films, including “Kung Fu Panda,” “Penguins of Madagascar,” and “Trolls.” For the 2020 film “The Croods: A New Age,” Mercado stepped into a leadership role on the film and served as head of story, where he supervised a team of story artists.
Additional credits include Warner Animations “LEGO Movie” franchise as well as a leadership position as supervising director at Nickelodeon Animation.
Mercado studied and graduated from the animation-illustration department at San Jose State University; through the years, SJSU become a staple recruitment center for some of the industry’s top upcoming artists. When he is not busy writing or drawing Mercado spends his spend spare honing his karaoke skills, listening to songs while reading lyrics. His favorite genre is 90’s R&B. Mercado is a member of ASIFA-Hollywood.
About VIEW Conference
VIEW Conference 2026 takes place from October 12-16, 2026, in the stunning baroque city of Turin, Italy. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to network with award-winning film directors, animators, designers and thought leaders as they deliver an incredible program of keynotes, panels, talks, workshops and masterclasses at VIEW Conference 2026. Explore cutting-edge thinking with a stellar line-up of stars from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, celebrate the latest achievements in animation, VFX, games and AI, and share inspirational visions of the future. VIEW Conference 2026 is an English speaking event.
The conference’s vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is designed to energize and enlighten, with an extensive live program of talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses embracing cutting-edge thinking on such diverse topics as Storytelling, Virtual Production, Computer Graphics, Interactive & Immersive Media, VR/AR/Mixed Reality and the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Real-Time Rendering and much, much more.