Behind the Scenes of Skydance Animation’s Most Ambitious Project: From Salmon-Inspired Ecosystems to Cross-Species Body-Swapping Challenges
- Director Nathan Greno has revealed the extensive six-year development journey behind Netflix's upcoming animated feature "Swapped," detailing how the project evolved from a superpowered teen concept into a...
- The film, which Greno describes as "always meant to be about empathy," began as a story about human teenagers with superpowers before undergoing significant creative transformations.
- According to Greno, the pivotal moment in the film's development came six months after John Lasseter joined Skydance Animation.
Director Nathan Greno has revealed the extensive six-year development journey behind Netflix’s upcoming animated feature “Swapped,” detailing how the project evolved from a superpowered teen concept into a nature-focused animal buddy comedy centered on empathy.
The film, which Greno describes as “always meant to be about empathy,” began as a story about human teenagers with superpowers before undergoing significant creative transformations. Speaking about the project’s origins, Greno explained that the team eventually shifted focus to using animals as main characters and developed the concept of the Puku, which became the primary species in the film.
According to Greno, the pivotal moment in the film’s development came six months after John Lasseter joined Skydance Animation. Greno recalled telling Lasseter that they were making the wrong movie and needed to radically alter the story to better convey the theme of seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.
“I told him that it feels like it should be a transformation movie,” Greno said. “And we’re missing important stuff about what it means to see the world through someone else’s eyes. And we need to use the camera to tell the story in a different way.”
The resulting film, set to premiere on Netflix on May 1, 2026, follows a small woodland creature voiced by Michael B. Jordan and a majestic bird voiced by Juno Temple—natural enemies in the fictional setting of The Valley—who swap bodies after encountering a magic plant and must work together to survive.
Greno emphasized that the film’s unique approach lies in its complete absence of human characters, instead focusing entirely on animal perspectives to explore themes of empathy and understanding across species divides. The project represents a significant departure from its original concept while maintaining the core empathetic intent that guided its development from the beginning.