May 1, 2026
Swapped is a 2026 American animated fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Nathan Greno and written by John Whittington, Christian Magalhaes, and Robert Snow, who all co-wrote the story with Greno and Adam Karp. Produced by Skydance Animation, the film stars the voices of Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, and Justina Machado. The plot follows a small Pookoo named Ollie (Jordan) and Javan named Ivy (Temple) who are accidentally transformed into each other's species, forcing them to work together when navigating life in each other's bodies to survive a series of adventures.
Swapped was released on Netflix and select theaters on May 1, 2026. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, and became a huge success during its first week on Netflix, reaching 38 million views, taking over the spot of KPop Demon Hunters, which previously claimed the spot from 2025-2026.
Storyline
A group of otter/sloth like creatures called Pookoo lives in a flooded valley populated by animal-plant hybrids. An inventive young Pookoo named Ollie is curious about the other creatures living in the valley, despite the warnings of his parents and his grandmother, who tells Ollie a story about how the creatures of the valley used to live in harmony due to tree-like creatures called Dzo, who gave them magical pods that enabled them to change forms and understand each other better. However, a Treewolf, who terrorized the valley and resented the peace the Dzo brought, stole a pod to become the Firewolf. He then killed four Dzos and caused a forest fire that resulted in a rock slide, creating a large dam that blocked the river, flooding the valley and preventing the surviving Dzo from returning. The different species have not interacted with one another since.
During a celebration of a bountiful harvest, Ollie meets a Javan chick, and shows her how to get food on the island. However, the other Javans storm Pookoo Island and take over the food sources. Years later, the Pookoo are certain that they will starve as their emergency food storage runs low, and Ollie struggles to make amends. He ends up attempting to fix his mistake by using reflective glass shards to make the Javans leave the harvest grounds. However, one Javan attacks Ollie, and he falls into a hole, where he inadvertently lands on a magical pod while trying to escape and is transformed into a Javan. He is then chased off the island by his pack and falls into the river.
Ollie is soon rescued by the Javan who attacked him earlier, named Ivy, alongside her sisters Violet and Lily. Ollie soon meets an amiable, but absent-minded fish named Boogle who informs him of a pod on a nearby dead Dzo. He tries to get to it, but Ivy interferes and is turned into a Pookoo. Boogle then tells them of another pod by the Great Waterfall. As the duo journey there, they encounter various creatures of the valley and learn of each species' strengths. During the journey, Ollie learns from Ivy that she only brought her flock to the island because the food sources at her own home, Javan Rock, were running low, and several members of her flock had already died of starvation, including her parents.
They make it to the pod, promising Boogle to bring it to him to change into a different creature, due to him being the only one of his kind. However, when they reach the pod, Ollie hesitates about trusting Ivy, and the two are ambushed by a pack of Treewolves, leading them to slip and fall onto the pod, both transforming into Boogle fish. Boogle says he knows where to find more pods, and Ollie and Ivy decide to put their differences aside.
At a waterfall, Ollie and Ivy find the pods and transform back to their original forms. When they allow Boogle to use the pods, he reveals that he is the Firewolf, who divided the valley years ago due to his own pain of being rejected by his pack and ostracized by the other animal species and was transformed by the Dzo into a fish to stop him. The Firewolf destroys the remaining pods, and brutally attacks Ivy, leaving her unconscious. Ollie manages to scale Javan Rock with Ivy in tow, saving her life.
A recovered Ivy and the other creatures all take refuge on Pookoo Island as the Firewolf attacks the valley. Ollie convinces his father, Caloo, to trust the other creatures despite their differences. As the Firewolf approaches the island, a desperate Ollie goes to the hole he fell into earlier, which contains a dead Dzo. The Dzo's spirit sends Ollie a pod, which he uses to turn into a Dzo himself. Using his newfound abilities, he battles and subdues the Firewolf and dismantles the dam, washing them both away.
As Ollie's friends and family mourn him, the Dzo who left the valley years ago come back and reveal that Ollie is alive and has been returned to Pookoo form by them. With the Firewolf gone, the valley becomes peaceful once more as both the Pookoo and Javans now reconnect and work with each other, including the Dzo and the other creatures.