Talks

Forgotten Island

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 will mark his directorial debut.  Mercado will write and direct alongside long-time collaborator Joel Crawford.  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, 2026.

Most recently, Mercado served co-director on the Academy Award® and BAFTA 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.

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.