Nathan Greno’s animated body-swap fantasy Swapped streams now on Netflix, starring Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple as Ollie and Ivy. Swapped arrives May 1, 2026 with a 98-minute runtime, and its themes of empathy and friendship are front and center—right dow
By the time Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple trade performances for Swapped’s enchanted body swap, Nathan Greno has already watched the story change shape.
In the film. Ollie—a tiny woodland creature—has his voice provided by Jordan. and Ivy—the beautiful and glorious bird—has hers provided by Temple. With the help of freaky forest magic. the two switch bodies. turning their “woodland Freaky Friday” setup into a colorful fantasy adventure about empathy and perspective. Along the way. their swapped lives push them to ask the question the forest has kept dividing their species for so long: why?.
Directed by Nathan Greno. Swapped expands its magic into something more personal as it follows what happens when two very different lives are forced to understand each other. It’s the kind of premise that can feel playful on the surface—until you hear how the cast and director describe what they brought into the scenes.
Greno recently sat down with Collider and spoke glowingly about the work the cast did to bring the movie to life. He singled out Temple for bringing “sadness and vulnerability” to moments Greno believed he already understood. and he credited Jordan’s process with changing how he directs voice performances.
“And then Mike… it’s Mike. I mean, Michael B. Jordan is. I mean… the way he records. I’ve never experienced anything like that. and it’s kind of changed the way I even direct now. when I’m going forward. It’s, like, his way of working and his way of, like, finding the truth within the lines. Both of them change the course of the movie 100%.”.
Temple, speaking to Collider’s Steve Weintraub, added that the film’s message matters to her, and that she hopes kids carry it beyond the theater.
“I hope that they feel the absolute importance and need for friendship we’ll have throughout life. It doesn’t matter how old you are, where you come from, what you do, your friends are always going to be integral to making your life better, bigger, and more beautiful,” she said.
The cast also includes Tracy Morgan (30 Rock. The Longest Yard) as Boogle; Cedric the Entertainer (Barbershop. The Neighborhood) as Caloo; Justina Machado (One Day at a Time. Jane the Virgin) as Calli; Ambika Mod (One Day. This Is Going to Hurt) as Violet; Lolly Adefope (Ghosts. Shrill) as Lily; and Táta Vega (The Color Purple. The Lion King) as Ollie’s Grandma.
Swapped is streaming now on Netflix, with a release date of May 1, 2026. The animated film runs 98 minutes, and it’s directed by Nathan Greno.
Swapped Netflix Nathan Greno Michael B. Jordan Juno Temple Ollie Ivy animated fantasy body swap voice cast 30 Rock One Day at a Time Ghosts release date May 1 2026 runtime 98 minutes
Michael B Jordan voice as a tiny woodland creature?? I’m confused but I’m watching.
So is this like Freaky Friday but on Netflix? The title says swapped hits streaming May 1 like it’s music or something lol. Also the part about empathy and friendship sounds cute but I hope it’s not too preachy.
Body swap fantasy with forest magic… but it’s actually animated? That feels backwards. I mean if it’s empathy, cool, but why are we still doing species “why?” like that’s gonna make kids sad or whatever. Also I only saw a clip on TikTok where Juno Temple was yelling in a bird voice so yeah, that’s my entire understanding.
98 minutes not bad, but I hate when Netflix dumps stuff with like 15 different characters and half the article is just names. Tracy Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer in an animated bird thing though?? I can’t tell if it’s a kids movie or a weird adult one. And “sadness and vulnerability” like… when did we start getting sad about friendship? I’m still gonna give it a shot.