Director: Nathan Greno
Writer: John Whittington, Christian Magalhaes, Robert Snow
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, Justina Machado
Synopsis: A tiny woodland creature and a majestic bird suddenly swap bodies, forcing them to team up to survive the wildest adventure of their lives.
The last thirty years or so have been a golden age of animation since Pixar introduced audiences to Toy Story. So, when a studio like Skydance Animation drops an animated film on Netflix, like Swapped, it can be held to an almost unattainable standard. The other issue is that there’s little distinction between a massive streamer’s film that feels made-for-television and one that aspires to be true, magical cinema.
Well, it can be, in terms of story and visual artistry. Swapped has plenty of the latter but flirts with a familiar, recycled narrative. Still, it has heart and, at times, is smart enough to highlight the unintended consequences of our actions on surrounding communities. That’s something we need from animated films, whose core demographic is children, teachable moments like these, which are empathy, community, identity, and acceptance.
Sure, the premise borrows from audience favorites like Freaky Friday, Big, and the new Jumanji franchise. However, not everything has to be startlingly original, as long as it’s done well and tailored to resonate with the audience the experience is meant to serve. This amounts to playing something for the kids while you get some alone time, delivering a family-friendly, albeit safe, experience even for adults watching alongside them.
The story follows Ollie (Michael B. Jordan), an adolescent Pookoo, a brown sea otter–like creature, whose mischievous nature begins to endanger his community. Ollie refuses to live by his father’s code, “Hide today, live tomorrow.” To keep him scared, his father tells him the story of the Firewolf, who destroyed the Dzo, tree-like creatures that carry magical pods with the ability to transform one creature into another to foster understanding between rival groups.
So, during the Piplets Harvest Festival, the main food source of the Pookoo, Ollie wanders off and runs into a newly hatched Javan, a glorious shade of light green, who begins to follow him. The small Pookoo shows the baby Javan how to open a pod filled with Piplets. They enjoy the snack, but Ollie’s kindness has unintended consequences, as a swarm of Javan flies in. Which reminds the audience of the old adage: “If you teach someone to fish…”
Well, now that the Javan know how to open the Piplet pods, they can eat for a lifetime. The bird species takes over, consuming most of the Pookoo’s food source. Years later, now fully grown, Ollie, his family, and the community worry about how to survive the season with little to no food left. Ollie goes for a walk and comes up with a way to force the Javan off the Piplet fields, to save his family and his species.
The crux of the story, with a script by The Lego Batman Movie scribe John Whittington, has Javan tackle Ollie, sending them both down a hole and into a magical plant that swaps their bodies. We’ve seen this setup countless times before, but the film finds its teaching moments in the idea that the only way to switch back is to work together and save all the woodland animals, making Swapped an antagonist-driven buddy comedy with a strong emotional arc.
Directed by Nathan Greno (Tangled), the film is vibrant, featuring beautiful, creative animation. It’s a real achievement for Skydance Animation, which has struggled with visual quality in its animated, effects-driven filmography. Tracy Morgan, who voices a purple groupie, provides solid comic relief, while Ted Lasso’s Juno Temple plays the Javan who switches bodies with Jordan’s Ollie, bringing comfort and warmth to the role that children will respond to.
Where Swapped struggles is in its lack of originality, even as it tries to make familiar ideas feel new. That is especially true of the “villain,” the Firewolf, whose “surprise” reveal exposes the limitations of the performance. It’s the kind of turn that makes you appreciate voice actors, as the lack of nuance turns what should be menacing into something unintentionally comical. When the reveal lands, you’ll understand exactly why.
Still, if nothing else, Netflix’s Swapped is enjoyable and breezy enough, delivering colorful animation, light humor, and a handful of meaningful lessons for its core audience. Sure, the film falls short of true originality in its storytelling, but it has enough heart and accessibility to earn a very mild recommendation, safe, simple, and sincere in its intentions.
You can stream Swapped exclusively on Netflix starting May 1st!
