A Filipino food brand and a Hollywood animation studio are joining forces around a story that draws heavily from Filipino culture.
Jollibee and DreamWorks Animation have partnered for a global campaign tied to the theatrical release of Forgotten Island, a new animated feature about friendship, family, and mythical creatures inspired by stories from Filipino families.
For Jollibee, the collaboration extends its brand into entertainment while connecting its familiar themes of family, friendship, and shared meals with a film that puts Filipino-inspired storytelling at the center of a global production.
DreamWorks describes Forgotten Island as the story of lifelong best friends Jo and Raissa, voiced by Grammy and Academy Award winner H.E.R. and Filipino actress Liza Soberano. The two discover a mysterious portal that transports them to Nakali, a magical island populated by creatures based on stories they grew up hearing from their Filipino families.
Why the Jollibee-DreamWorks partnership matters
Brand collaborations with major entertainment properties are not new, but the Jollibee-DreamWorks partnership has a particularly local dimension.
Forgotten Island is a globally distributed animated film, yet its story is built around Filipino-inspired mythology and family storytelling. That creates a natural connection for Jollibee, a Philippine-born brand whose marketing has long centered on family, friendship, and shared experiences.
The partnership therefore works on two levels: it gives DreamWorks a way to connect the film with Filipino consumers through a familiar local brand, while Jollibee gets to associate its products and customer experience with an international entertainment property that already carries Filipino cultural elements.
The collaboration also reflects the increasing potential for Philippine brands to participate in global entertainment and cultural conversations without separating those partnerships from their local identity.
Jollibee turns the film into an in-store experience
In the Philippines, Jollibee is supporting the partnership with a limited-time Forgotten Island Adventure Bundle.
The bundle launched in Metro Manila on September 16 and expanded to participating stores in other regions on September 23. It will be available until October 31, while supplies last.
Priced at ₱389, the bundle includes:
- 1-pc. Chickenjoy with rice
- Pineapple Quencher
- New Peach Mango Pie à la Mode with Vanilla Soft Serve
- Peach Mango Pie with Chocolate Sauce
- Exclusive Forgotten Island Friendship Charm Bracelet
The bracelet serves as a collectible tied to the film and the partnership, extending the campaign beyond the meal itself.
The Adventure Bundle is available through dine-in, takeout, and drive-thru at participating Jollibee stores, subject to availability.
A Filipino story with a global cast
The partnership comes as Forgotten Island introduces Filipino-inspired mythology to an international animated audience.
The story follows Jo and Raissa as they navigate Nakali after discovering that returning home could mean losing their memories of each other. Their journey introduces mythical creatures drawn from stories associated with their Filipino families.
The film's voice cast also brings together Filipino and international talent, including Dave Franco, Lea Salonga, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, and Ronny Chieng, alongside H.E.R. and Soberano.
That combination gives the project a wider cultural footprint than a conventional movie tie-in. Filipino performers are part of a production whose story itself draws from Filipino cultural references.
From shared meals to shared stories
For Jollibee Philippines Vice President for Marketing Dorothy Ching, the connection between the brand and the film comes down to friendship and the memories created when people spend time together.
“At Jollibee, we've always believed that some of life's best memories are made around the dining table,” Ching said.
The partnership allows that idea to move from advertising into a broader entertainment experience, where the film, food, and collectible become parts of the same consumer interaction.
This type of collaboration also demonstrates why cultural relevance can matter in brand partnerships. A campaign becomes more meaningful when the entertainment property and the brand can meet around an idea that already resonates with their respective audiences.
What the campaign says about Filipino brand storytelling
The Jollibee-DreamWorks collaboration comes at an interesting point for Filipino storytelling.
Forgotten Island is being produced for an international audience, yet its mythology and characters are connected to Filipino family stories. Jollibee, meanwhile, brings a distinctly Filipino brand into a partnership with one of the world's major animation studios.
That creates a two-way exchange: a global entertainment property is being introduced to Filipino consumers through a familiar homegrown brand, while Filipino cultural references are being presented within a major international animated production.
For businesses, the partnership illustrates another approach to global brand building: rather than simply exporting a product or campaign, brands can build connections around culture, entertainment, and experiences that audiences already understand.
Forgotten Island, distributed by Universal Pictures, is now in Philippine cinemas following its September 23, 2026 release.