SWAPPED - - Generic Talking Animal Flick

Review by Adam Donato

Netflix has seen a lot of success in the animation department this decade. Last year, KPop Demon Hunters took the world by storm as it rode being the movie of the summer all the way through award season. This isn’t a fluke for the studio as they won a couple years prior with Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio. Swapped is Netflix’s newest animated movie and is kicking off the summer. The story follows a young rodent creature that switches bodies with a rival bird. The main duo of the cast is Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple adding a little bit of pedigree to this original movie. Is it enough to get some eyes on this cute little family movie?

Michael B. Jordan’s stock couldn't be higher right now. Sinners was the defining movie of 2025 and Jordan has his face on the poster twice. Winning Best Actor at such a young age should do amazing things for his already stellar career. He voices the main character in Swapped and he does fine. This is not his first voice over performance as he previously played Cyborg in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. While it’s not entirely an uninspired performance, there’s nothing he’s bringing that any other actor couldn’t bring. Same goes for his costar Juno Temple. Their character’s relationship is so paint by numbers cliche and has little to no chemistry. Also, neither of them is very funny at all. Glad they both got a paycheck though.

The themes of the film are apparent just by looking at the poster. It’s all about walking a mile in the other person’s shoes. By living in the body of their enemy and seeing that maybe they’re not so bad after all. There’s also environmental themes in the movie. It’s wholesome content for children, but not the type of thing that would appeal to the parents too. The humor of the film also doesn’t connect. Very silly humor that's for the kids.

Overall the animation is very standard, but where the best part of the visuals of this movie is in the character designs for all the creatures. There’s a bunch of animals with plants growing out of them. It’s especially fun to look at during the climax when all of the animals come together. While it is yet another animated talking animal movie, it did have some style in regard to the characters.

Swapped is just fine for the kids, but it’s not one the adults would really care for. It’s decently cute and well intended, but won’t stack up to the studio’s successes as of late. With Hoppers leading the Best Animated Feature race, Netflix will have to take their chances with another entry instead. Still, it’s not one to be super cynical about. In a sea of franchise animated movies like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Swapped is the better option. It’s just not an original movie that feels all that original.

Swapped flies into Netflix on May 1st!

Rating: 2/5