DreamWorks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ Writers/Directors Join VIEW Conference 2026

Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado will take the stage to share production insights and stories surrounding their new original animated comedy adventure hitting theaters on September 25; event runs October 12-16 in Turin, Italy.

VIEW Conference 2026 has just confirmed a special presentation celebrating the release of Forgotten Island, the new original animated feature from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation set to hit theaters on September 25.

The English-language event takes place October 12-16 in Turin, Italy, and registration is now open.

The presentation will be led by Joel Crawford (Oscar-nominated for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) and Januel P. Mercado, the writers/directors of Forgotten Island. In the in-person talk, they will discuss the creative journey they undertook, and share stories and insights about the production of this highly anticipated animated film.

In the film, 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 writes and directs 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.

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 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 the first 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 marks his directorial debut. Mercado writes and directs alongside Crawford. Most recently, Mercado served as co-director on the Academy Award and BAFTA nominated film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,

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.

The conference program includes keynotes, panels, talks, workshops and masterclasses with industry professionals from animation, VFX, games, AI, virtual production and related fields. This year’s special guests include two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins and his creative partner James Ellis Deakins, together known as Team Deakins, who will discuss the art, craft and science of cinematography.

Recent program additions include Holly Edwards, president of Skydance Animation; Michelle Grady, president of Sony Pictures Imageworks; and Janet Lewin, senior vice president, general manager and head of Industrial Light & Magic.

Additional speakers also include Daniel Chong and Nicole Paradis Grindle, director and producer of Pixar’s animated feature Hoppers, and Glenn Entis, senior director at Google DeepMind, who leads teams exploring creative uses of AI and is executive producer of the animated short Dear Upstairs Neighbors.

VIEW Conference 2026 will also present teams behind recent VFX projects, including production VFX supervisors Paul Lambert and Mag Sarnowska for Project Hail Mary; Wētā FX senior production VFX supervisor Eric Saindon for Avatar: Fire and Ash; production animation supervisor Hal Hickel for The Mandalorian and Grogu; production designer Noelle Triaureau and VFX supervisor Juan-Luis Sanchez for Swapped; and production VFX supervisor Jay Worth for Fallout Season 2. All listed speakers will attend in person, and additional speakers will be announced as the conference approaches.

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