Philippine Folklore Gains International Stage: Manananggal and Tiyanak Featured in DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island

Stories of the manananggal, a creature said to split its body in two, and the tiyanak, which takes the form of an infant, are part of the folklore many children grow up hearing in the Philippines.

Now, they are among the mythological creatures featured in DreamWorks’ animated film Forgotten Island, which opened in the Philippines on Wednesday and two days later in the United States.

The film, described as the first major Hollywood production to showcase Filipino culture and mythology, offers a rare point of recognition for the diaspora while reflecting the US industry’s growing interest in Asian audiences.

“We first saw the trailers in the cinema and I wasn’t expecting to see a movie with Filipino stories that I grew up with back in the 1990s,” Berlynn Tuazon‑Bradshaw, 34, said.

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