One of the buzziest movies at Annecy this year is DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island and its creators were on hand today to talk a packed crowd through their “love letter to Filipino culture.”

“The old adage is write what you know, but we wrote who you know,” said director Joel Crawford of the movie set in the Philippines.

Crawford, whose wife is Filipina, re-teamed with Filipino-American helmer Januel Mercado on the pic, having worked together on the Academy Award-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Forgotten Island is set in the Southeast Asian nation during the 1990s, as two childhood friends, Jo and Raissa, promise to remain close forever once they graduate from high school. Raissa is preparing to move to the U.S. at the urging of her parents, but fearing the loss of their bond, Jo tries to persuade her to stay, with interesting consequences.

The movie mixes an American voice cast like R&B star H.E.R. and Dave Franco with Filipina legends like Lea Salonga, who voiced Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan. Salonga, however, “ain’t no hero in our movie,” explained Mercado, as she plays the Dreaded Manananggal, one of many creatures in the film based on Filipino folklore.

Many talented Filipinos contributed to the movie behind the camera and Crawford paid homage to them today, including the composer and the 2D animation team from Manila-based Snipple Animation that added a layer of anime to proceedings.

“Snipple’s distinct style is inspired by 2D anime,” he added. “It reminds you of Dragon Ball Z, which uses the same inspiration. They are pushing boundaries.”

Earlier today, Webtoon Productions animation boss told us American buyers have finally embraced anime in all its different forms.

Crawford and Mercado were speaking at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which runs until Saturday. Universal and DreamWorks execs are out in force. Yesterday, they revealed a new Illumination movie, Not Alone, starring Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez.