If you’re watching the trailers for DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island and wondering exactly who Liza Soberano plays, her character is much more important than simply being one half of the movie’s main duo.
Liza voices Raissa, a Filipino teenager who has just reached one of those uncomfortable points in life where everything seems to be changing at once.
High school is ending.
College is coming.
She’s preparing to leave the Philippines.
And her lifelong best friend Jo isn’t exactly ready to accept that their lives are about to head in different directions.
Then, as if figuring out adulthood wasn’t difficult enough, the two accidentally end up on a magical island filled with creatures from Philippine mythology.
That’s where Forgotten Island really begins.
But underneath all the manananggal, kapre, duwende and other supernatural creatures, Raissa’s story is actually something much more familiar: growing up, leaving home and wondering whether the people and relationships that shaped you will still be there when everything changes.
And that’s probably one of the reasons Liza Soberano connected so strongly with the character.
Here’s everything you need to know about Raissa in Forgotten Island.
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Who Is Raissa in Forgotten Island?
Raissa is one of the two main protagonists of Forgotten Island.
She is voiced by Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano, while Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson, voices Raissa’s best friend Jo.
DreamWorks describes Jo and Raissa as lifelong friends who have known each other since grade school. At the beginning of the movie, they’ve just graduated from high school and are about to take very different paths.
Raissa is preparing for college in the United States.
Jo is staying in the Philippines.
And suddenly a friendship that has always seemed permanent has a deadline hanging over it.
That’s the emotional setup for Forgotten Island.
The two decide to spend one final night together before Raissa leaves, only to stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to Nakali, a fantastical island inhabited by creatures inspired by Philippine folklore.
Once they get there, things become much more complicated.
Nakali isn’t simply a magical place they can explore and leave whenever they want.
The longer they remain, the more their memories are threatened. Their friendship—the very thing they’re already afraid of losing—becomes part of what is at stake.
So while Forgotten Island looks like a big fantasy adventure, Raissa’s real journey begins with something many people will recognize immediately.
She’s leaving home.
Raissa Is the Organized One
If Jo and Raissa were your friends in real life, Raissa would probably be the one making the itinerary.
She’d know what time you’re leaving.
She’d remind everyone what to bring.
She’d probably have a backup plan.
And if nobody followed that plan?
That would be a problem.
Vogue Philippines describes Raissa as extremely “Type A”—organized, responsible and someone who likes sticking to a plan.
That’s basically the opposite of Jo.
Jo is much more spontaneous, adventurous and impulsive.
Raissa likes structure.
Jo likes jumping into things.
And that contrast becomes a big part of their chemistry.
Interestingly, Liza Soberano has said she relates to that side of Raissa.
While talking about the movie, Liza compared Raissa’s tendency to keep everybody together with her own experience as the eldest of ten siblings. She described herself as someone who also likes people following the plan—and admitted that when things don’t go the way she imagined, she can get stressed about it.
So when Raissa seems like the responsible friend trying to keep an increasingly ridiculous adventure under control, some of that personality apparently comes quite naturally to Liza.
Why Is Raissa Leaving the Philippines?
One of the most important details about Raissa is that she is preparing to leave the Philippines to continue her education in the United States.
The film’s trailer establishes that she’s planning to attend the California Institute of Technology, or Caltech.
That’s obviously a huge opportunity.
But Forgotten Island doesn’t treat leaving as something simple.
Raissa isn’t just excited about going abroad.
She’s leaving behind the world she’s known for most of her life—and, most importantly, Jo.
That’s where the conflict becomes more interesting.
For Raissa, going to college represents possibility.
For Jo, it represents loss.
Neither perspective is necessarily wrong.
Raissa shouldn’t have to give up her future simply because her best friend doesn’t want things to change.
At the same time, Jo’s fear makes sense too.
If you’ve been best friends with someone since childhood, the idea of suddenly living thousands of kilometers apart can feel like the end of something.
Forgotten Island essentially takes that very ordinary fear and transforms it into a fantasy adventure.
What if moving forward really did mean losing your memories?
What would you fight to hold onto?
That’s the bigger question underneath Raissa’s story.
Raissa and Jo Have Been Friends Since Childhood
You can’t really explain Raissa without talking about Jo.
Their friendship is the emotional center of Forgotten Island.
DreamWorks says the two have been best friends since grade school, meaning they’ve essentially grown up alongside one another.
They’re not simply friends who met recently.
Their memories are connected.
Their childhoods are connected.
Their experiences growing up in the Philippines are connected.
And that’s exactly why Raissa leaving becomes such a huge event.
For Jo, it isn’t only “my friend is going to college.”
It’s more like:
What happens to us now?
Do we stay the same?
Will you forget me?
Will everything we’ve done together eventually become something that only existed in the past?
Those questions end up being reflected literally through Nakali.
The island gradually threatens the memories Jo and Raissa share, turning the emotional fear of growing apart into an actual danger they have to confront.
It’s a clever idea because almost everyone has experienced some version of this.
Maybe it wasn’t moving to another country.
Maybe it was graduating.
Changing schools.
Starting a career.
Moving to another city.
Getting married.
Starting a family.
At some point, friendships have to survive change.
Raissa and Jo just happen to face that problem while being chased through an island filled with Filipino mythical creatures.
What Is Raissa’s Personality Like?
Raissa comes across as practical, ambitious, caring and somewhat anxious when things stop going according to plan.
She’s the more structured half of the friendship.
That doesn’t mean she’s cold or overly serious.
If anything, part of the fun appears to come from watching somebody who likes control being thrown into a situation where absolutely nothing can be controlled.
Think about it.
Raissa has carefully planned the next stage of her life.
She’s graduating.
She’s going to college.
She knows where she’s going.
Then suddenly she’s stuck on a mythical island where normal rules don’t apply.
There are manananggal.
There are kapre.
There are duwende.
There are creatures she previously knew only from stories.
And the clock is essentially running against her memories.
That’s probably the worst possible scenario for a Type A personality.
It also gives Raissa room to grow.
The character isn’t simply learning how to escape Nakali.
She’s being forced to deal with uncertainty.
And perhaps more importantly, she’s learning that moving forward doesn’t necessarily mean leaving everything behind.
Raissa and Jo Are Complete Opposites—And That’s the Point
One of the things that seems to make Jo and Raissa work so well as characters is how different they are.
Raissa plans.
Jo improvises.
Raissa thinks about what comes next.
Jo is desperately trying to hold onto what they already have.
Raissa is preparing to leave.
Jo wants everything to stay the same.
Even H.E.R. and Liza Soberano apparently reflected their characters almost accidentally.
Liza recalled that during one of their early sessions, she arrived looking carefully put together in a blazer while H.E.R. showed up wearing a colorful tie-dye hoodie.
Director Joel Crawford immediately noticed how perfectly their outfits matched their characters: Raissa would absolutely be the person arriving in a blazer, while Jo would be the one arriving in tie-dye.
It’s a small detail, but it says a lot about why the casting appears to work.
The actresses weren’t simply trying to manufacture two completely opposite personalities.
Some of those differences already existed naturally.
What Does “Tayo Na” Mean to Raissa and Jo?
One phrase you’ll hear repeatedly around Forgotten Island is:
“Tayo na.”
The direct English meaning is essentially “Let’s go.”
But within the movie, it has a deeper connection to Jo and Raissa.
Vogue Philippines describes the phrase as something of a pact between the two friends—a phrase connected with setting out on adventures together.
Interestingly, Liza Soberano actually raised a cultural note about the line during production.
She told the filmmakers that contemporary Filipinos would more commonly say “tara na” rather than the more formal-sounding “tayo na.” Director Januel Mercado then checked the wording with Filipino cultural consultant Kirby Araullo.
The filmmakers ultimately kept “tayo na,” allowing the phrase to take on a specific meaning within Jo and Raissa’s friendship.
So when you hear those words in Forgotten Island, they’re not simply telling each other to start walking.
They’re part of the language of their friendship.
It’s their way of saying:
We’re doing this together.
Why Raissa’s Story Felt Personal to Liza Soberano
This is probably the most interesting thing about the character.
Liza Soberano was going through something remarkably similar to Raissa when she became involved with Forgotten Island.
Raissa is preparing to leave the Philippines and pursue a new opportunity abroad.
Liza, meanwhile, had begun moving from Manila to Los Angeles as she tried to build a career in Hollywood.
The parallels weren’t lost on her.
Liza told Vogue Philippines that she missed being home, being around family and being surrounded by Filipino culture while making that transition. She said Raissa’s experience of leaving the Philippines to pursue an education mirrored what she herself was feeling as she pursued a new chapter professionally.
That made Forgotten Island particularly personal.
Liza has also spoken about being afraid of what leaving the Philippines might mean.
She faced criticism when she began pursuing a career overseas, and she said there were moments when she worried whether she would still have a career, friendships and relationships waiting for her back home.
Working on Forgotten Island helped her see that distance doesn’t automatically erase meaningful relationships or the memories that connect people.
Once you know that, the casting feels almost strangely appropriate.
Liza wasn’t simply playing someone leaving home.
She understood what that felt like.
Liza Originally Auditioned for Jo
Here’s another fun piece of Forgotten Island casting trivia.
Liza Soberano wasn’t originally auditioning to play Raissa.
She first auditioned for Jo.
Months later, DreamWorks brought her back to read for Raissa instead.
That eventually became the role she landed.
Looking at how closely Raissa’s story ended up paralleling Liza’s real life, it’s difficult to imagine the casting working out any other way.
H.E.R. became Jo.
Liza became Raissa.
And the contrast between them became one of the defining relationships of the movie.
Liza Soberano Also Helped With Filipino Details
Liza’s contribution wasn’t limited to voice acting.
Because Forgotten Island is specifically trying to capture Filipino culture rather than simply borrowing imagery from it, the filmmakers relied on Filipino cast members and cultural advisers during production.
One example involved that “tayo na” dialogue.
Liza pointed out that “tara na” would sound more natural in everyday Filipino conversation.
Details like that might seem tiny.
But they’re exactly the kind of things Filipino audiences notice immediately.
It’s one thing to recreate jeepneys, Filipino classrooms, houses, food and mythical creatures visually.
It’s another thing to make the people inside those environments actually sound like people who could have grown up there.
Having Filipino actors involved in those conversations helped give the filmmakers another layer of cultural reference.
Is Raissa Filipino?
Yes.
Raissa grows up in the Philippines, and Filipino culture is fundamental to both her world and the movie itself.
Forgotten Island is set in 1990s-era Philippines before Jo and Raissa enter Nakali.
The creatures they encounter aren’t random fantasy monsters either.
They’re beings inspired by the same Philippine myths and folklore the girls heard from their Filipino families growing up.
That’s important because the movie isn’t presenting Philippine mythology as some foreign world Raissa discovers.
These are stories she already knows.
Nakali turns stories from childhood into reality.
That makes Raissa’s connection to the island cultural as much as supernatural.
What Is Nakali?
Nakali is the mysterious island where Raissa and Jo become trapped.
The name itself is connected to the Filipino word “nakalimutan,” meaning forgotten. GMA’s coverage of the film identifies Nakali as deriving from “nakalimutan.”
That’s a perfect name for the place considering what happens there.
Nakali is inhabited by beings inspired by Philippine folklore, including versions of creatures such as the manananggal, kapre, duwende and tiyanak.
But this isn’t simply a monster island.
Memory is central to how the place works.
And because the entire movie begins with Jo worrying about losing Raissa, Nakali becomes almost like a physical manifestation of everything they’re afraid of.
They’re worried about forgetting one another emotionally.
Then they arrive somewhere where forgetting becomes literal.
Who Voices Raissa?
Raissa is voiced by Liza Soberano.
For Filipino audiences, Liza obviously needs very little introduction.
She built her career through Philippine television and movies before beginning to pursue international projects.
One of her first major Hollywood appearances came with Lisa Frankenstein, the 2024 horror-comedy starring Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse.
Forgotten Island gives her something much bigger.
She’s not a supporting character this time.
Raissa is one of the two protagonists carrying a major DreamWorks Animation movie.
And because Forgotten Island is centered so heavily on Filipino culture, mythology and identity, the role feels particularly meaningful within Liza’s transition into Hollywood.
In many ways, Raissa’s journey and Liza’s career were moving in the same direction at almost exactly the same time.
Both were stepping outside the Philippines.
Both were entering unfamiliar territory.
And both were trying to figure out how to move forward without losing their connection to home.
Does Liza Soberano Sing in Forgotten Island?
Yes.
Liza’s involvement goes beyond voicing Raissa.
She performs “BRB” with H.E.R. on the Forgotten Island soundtrack.
The two also appear together on the short track “Jerk in the Box.”
That means Jo and Raissa’s relationship isn’t only represented through dialogue and animation. H.E.R. and Liza actually share music connected to the film as well.
For fans who primarily know Liza as an actress, hearing her alongside a Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician like H.E.R. is another interesting part of the project.
Is Raissa the Main Character?
Raissa is one of the two main characters.
Forgotten Island is fundamentally Jo and Raissa’s story.
Neither character really works without the other because the central conflict isn’t simply about escaping Nakali.
It’s about their friendship.
DreamWorks itself describes Forgotten Island as a story about two lifelong best friends who have to come together before they drift apart.
That makes Raissa just as essential to the emotional story as Jo.
The fantasy adventure might involve monsters, portals and mythology.
But the question driving everything underneath it is whether their friendship can survive change.
Why Raissa Could Be One of Liza Soberano’s Most Important Roles
From a career perspective, Forgotten Island represents a huge opportunity for Liza Soberano.
She’s voicing the co-lead of an original DreamWorks Animation feature.
She’s acting opposite H.E.R.
She’s sharing a cast with Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate and Ronny Chieng.
And she’s doing it in a movie built around Filipino culture.
But what makes Raissa especially interesting is that the role doesn’t feel disconnected from Liza’s previous career or Filipino identity.
It’s almost the opposite.
She’s entering Hollywood through a character whose entire story involves leaving the Philippines while figuring out how to keep home with her.
That’s a pretty remarkable parallel.
And based on what Liza has said about the movie, she clearly recognized it too.
Raissa Represents Something Many Filipinos Understand
There’s another reason I think Raissa could connect strongly with Filipino audiences.
Leaving home for opportunity is an incredibly familiar Filipino experience.
Maybe it’s leaving your province to study in Manila.
Moving from the Philippines to another country for school.
Working abroad.
Becoming an OFW.
Migrating with your family.
Or simply being the first friend in your group to move somewhere far away.
Whatever the situation, there’s often excitement mixed with guilt, fear and homesickness.
You’re happy about what’s ahead.
But part of you wonders what you’re leaving behind.
Will your friendships survive?
Will home feel the same when you return?
Will you still feel like you belong?
Raissa’s situation is obviously wrapped inside an animated fantasy movie.
But that emotional experience isn’t fantasy at all.
It’s something millions of Filipinos understand.
And that may ultimately be what makes her more interesting than simply being “Liza Soberano’s character.”
Raissa in Forgotten Island: Quick Facts
Raissa is one of the two protagonists of DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island.
Liza Soberano provides her voice.
She has been best friends with Jo since grade school.
Raissa is graduating from high school and preparing to leave the Philippines for college in the United States.
She is highly organized, practical and very much a Type A personality.
Jo, voiced by H.E.R., is her more spontaneous and adventurous best friend.
During their last night together, the two accidentally enter a portal leading to Nakali.
Nakali is populated by creatures inspired by Philippine mythology.
Their memories—and particularly the memories connecting their friendship—become central to their attempt to return home.
And perhaps most interestingly, Raissa’s story closely mirrored Liza Soberano’s own experience of leaving the Philippines while starting a new chapter in Hollywood.
Final Thoughts
At first glance, Raissa looks like the responsible friend standing beside the more impulsive Jo.
But there’s much more happening with her.
She’s a teenager standing between two versions of her life.
Behind her is childhood, the Philippines and the best friend who has been there for years.
Ahead of her is college, America and a future she can’t completely predict.
Raissa wants to move forward.
Jo is afraid moving forward means losing each other.
Then Forgotten Island throws them into Nakali, where that emotional fear becomes terrifyingly real.
That’s what makes Raissa such an important character.
She isn’t simply trying to escape an island.
She’s trying to understand something almost everyone eventually has to deal with:
How do you grow into the next version of your life without forgetting the people, memories and places that helped make you who you are?
For Liza Soberano, that question seems to have landed especially close to home.
She was going through her own transition from the Philippines to Hollywood when she found Raissa.
And perhaps that’s why the role feels particularly appropriate.
Raissa is leaving home to discover what’s next.
In many ways, so was Liza.
