Picture Credit: Netflix
From Skydance Animation (Spellbound, Luck) & producers John Lasseter (Toy Story, Monsterrs, Inc.) and new Paramount head David Ellison, Swapped is the first animated project for Tangled director Nathan Greno outside of Disney since he started there out of college in the mid-1990s.
After starting as a simple clean-up animation artist on Mulan, Greno has gone on to work on such successful films as Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, & Frozen, in addition to his co-direction of Tangled in 2010. This time around, he serves as a solo director for the first time on a full-length feature film and is credited as a story co-writer alongside Robert Snow (Ducktales), Christian Magalhaes (New Girl), John Whittington (The Lego Batman Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 3), & Adam Karp.
Originally titled Pookoo, the story is set deep inside the animal kingdom in an area known as “The Valley” as we follow a tiny woodland creature, a pookoo named Ollie (voiced by Oscar Winner Michael B. Jordan) and a majestic, strong-headed Javan bird named Ivy (voiced by Ted Lasso standout Juno Temple). The two natural enemies, intertwined by food supply, are thrown together following an accident with a magic pod that can transform one creature into another while gaining the ability to understand each other.
While their adventure starts with a simple need to turn back into their old forms, the two soon learn of a much bigger threat coming for the entire valley and every creature in it. Together, they must overcome their past mistakes, lead with kindness & trust, and defeat the ultimate evil in order to restore harmony to their land.
Alongside Jordan & Temple, the film also features the familiar voices of such well-known stars as 30 Rock legend Tracy Morgan, One Day at a Time lead Justina Machado, one of the Original Kings of Comedy Cedric The Entertainer, One Day star Ambika Mod, & BBC Ghostsactress Lolly Adefope.
Drawing inspiration from live-action nature documentaries, Swapped impresses with dazzling character design and innovative creatures that integrate well into each other in a vibrant valley landscape. With bold & beautiful wildlife choices like the Pookoos, the Javans, the tree wolves, & the Dzo, the film feels distinct and imaginative in a unique way that separates itself from the competition of successful recent animal films like Disney’s Hoppers.
Cr: Skydance Animation/NETFLIX ©2026 Skydance Animation
While the setting and its inhabitants pop off the screen, the story can feel familiar & basic in its construction. While avoiding the messaging & trappings of using humans interacting with nature, the film still uses the body swap/switching species narrative for understanding each other’s situations, much like several previous Disney films, such as Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, The Princess and The Frog, and of course the aforementioned Hoppers – a film that acknowledges its own comparisons to Avatar as their story unfolds.
Swapped relies on its lead characters’ chemistry and heart-led messaging to reach its audience, hoping to shine some brightness and compassion in our current global climate of separation, fear, & violence. For the most part, the film succeeds in this attempt, creating a level of empathy & discovery that can endear its audience to Ollie & Ivy, their adventure together, and the world they want to create for their families.
However, the main things that held me back from fully embracing this movie were from a standpoint of fun, humor, and the voice of Michael B. Jordan. The most reliable aspect of modern animated film triumphs is indelible lead characters that are surrounded by silliness & charm that help guide the story along. With Swapped, the characters are well designed and thoughtful in their environments with some standout set pieces – whether flying for the first time, colorful underwater sequences, or daring fire rescues; however, it very rarely engages in humor and doesn’t have those takeaway characters like a Timon & Pumbaa or even Heihei the chicken in Moana to give some comic relief. Some of that may extend to the grown-up version of Ollie as we see the world through a tiny woodland creature with the deep, assertive, & commanding tones of Michael B. Jordan – a mismatch that sometimes took me out of a “little guy taking on the world to save his own” storyline. His voice – perfect for lead actor energy in brazen action films and powerful dramas – seems a bit at odds with his character’s design, especially if they are supposed to be comedic or out of their depth. To the creators’ credit, I think they matched quite well with Juno Temple’s brightness in Ivy and Tracy Jordan’s transformation from amusing, helpful Boogle to something far more aggressive in tenor.
Cr: Skydance Animation/NETFLIX ©2026 Skydance Animation
Overall, Swapped impresses just enough with its world-building and compassion to satisfy its four-quadrant family audience, surpassing previous Skydance animation films of recent note like Spellbound or Lucky. Vibrant colors, original creature designs, & bold, lifelike computer animation style will capture the minds, while its march towards empathy & understanding will reach their hearts. Despite some of its familiar story beats & lesser charms, Swapped should prove itself to be a comfortable addition to the growing Netflix animated film canon.
Watch Swapped If You Like
- Hoppers
- Ferngully: The Last Rainforest
- The Emperor’s New Groove
- The Princess and the Frog, Tangled
MVP of Swapped
The Skydance Animation Team
The main attraction for Swapped is the immersive, well-crafted, & brightly designed world in which it lives and no one deserves more credit than Director Nathan Greno and his animation team at Skydance.
From the initial flashback sequence of young Ollie’s underwater discoveries to the epic fire escape towards its climax, the world of “The Valley” and its inhabitants burst with color and complexity with vivid textures and inventive features.
Previous Skydance animated films like Lucky & Spellbound could be criticized as many notches behind their Pixar/Disney & Dreamworks competition, but this time around was far more impressive & imaginative than previously thought possible.
Leaps and bounds from Skydance’s Spellbound in terms of animation, Swapped has an endearing sensitivity & impressive world design to help overcome its narrative challenges.
