I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the directors of DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island to talk about something that really stood out to me: culture and representation.

We discussed how the film brings different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives into its world and why it’s important for audience, especially younger viewers, to be able to see pieces of themselves represented in animation.

What does seeing your culture represented in animation mean to you?

-Vibez

I spoke with the directors of DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island about why the film feels more mature than you might expect from an animated movie, and that was completely intentional.

The story isn’t afraid to explore growing up, change, relationships, and the reality that life can take people in different directions. The director shared how they wanted the film to connect with audiences on a deeper level while still keeping the fun and adventure you expect from DreamWorks.

Animation isn’t just for kids, and Forgotten Island is embracing that by telling a story that can grow alongside its audience.

Do you want to see more animated movies tackle mature themes like this?

-Vibez

I spoke with the directors of DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island about how anime helped inspire the film’s style and action!

From Dragon Ball Z to Akira and many more, they pulled inspiration from the anime they love to help shape the movie’s energy, visuals, and larger-than-life moments.

As an anime fan, hearing how those influences made their way into a DreamWorks film was definitely one of my favorite parts of the conversation!

What anime do you hope inspired a scene?

-Vibez

I spoke with Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford, the directors of DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island!

We talked about the heart of the movie: two best friends trying to figure out what happens to their friendship when life starts pulling them in different directions—especially when one of them is leaving for college. And we tackled a question a lot of us eventually face: Does friendship end when college begins?

What do you think? Can a friendship stay just as strong when your best friend moves away?

-Vibez

There’s a reason X-Men has resonated around the world for decades.

I spoke with Eric and Julia Lewald, the creative forces behind the original X-Men: The Animated Series and part of the team that helped bring that legacy into X-Men ’97, about what made these characters work from the very beginning.

At its core, it’s always been a human story told through mutants: a found family who feels different, feels threatened and is sometimes told that who they are is wrong — but still chooses to help.

Eric and Julia also gave credit where it all began, with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creating a world that gave them an incredible foundation to build from.

And seeing fans geek out over Eric and Julia all day at Multicon was a pretty great reminder of just how much the stories they helped tell still mean to people 30+ years later.

-CJ

Sometimes you don’t need a Top 3 when you already know your #1. I asked Dino Andrade to name his most memorable moment from his career in voice acting, and he didn’t hesitate: getting to voice Speedy Gonzales.

Growing up Mexican American, Dino remembers how few Latino characters he saw in animation — and how often they were stereotypes or sidekicks. But Speedy was different.

Speedy was the hero. Getting to become the voice of a character who meant so much to him as a kid made the role that much more meaningful decades later.

-CJ

ART IMITATES LIFE… SOMETIMES IT JUST TAKES 30 YEARS.

I got to speak with Eric and Julia Lewald, two of the creative minds behind X-Men: The Animated Series, at Multicon about how their marriage has influenced their storytelling, and how an idea inspired by their own lives eventually found its way into X-Men ’97 decades later!

As a filmmaker, I love hearing how personal experiences become part of the stories we connect with. You never know which everyday moment might inspire a character, a relationship, or a scene that stays with audiences. In this case, that inspiration had to wait a few decades for its moment!

Getting to hear that story directly from Eric and Julia made this conversation especially memorable. Behind the mutant powers and larger-than-life battles, those human connections are such a big part of what makes X-Men resonate.

Sidenote: Eric and Julia are some of the loveliest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing. Thank you both for sharing your time, your memories, and a little piece of your own love story with us! Stay tuned, more from this conversation and our MultiCon coverage is on the way!

- CJ