Michael B. Jordan’s First Sinners Follow-Up Is Already on Netflix (and Dominating the Charts)

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners took the entertainment world by storm last year, earning more than $370 million at the box office, instantly cementing itself as a cultural touchstone, and igniting conversations that are still taking place more than a year later. Sinners also managed to make a huge splash during this past awards season, with star Michael B. Jordan winning his first Oscar for Best Actor after playing both of the twin lead characters in the film. The world is clearly Jordan’s oyster after that incredible Sinners success, and his first follow-up feature just arrived last week.

Unlike Sinners, however, many may not realize this new movie actually stars the reigning Best Actor. That’s because Jordan’s new movie is an animated family feature, so his face isn’t front-and-center for any of the posters or trailers. The film is called Swapped, and it’s the latest adventure from Skydance Animation. Released exclusively on Netflix just last week, Swapped wasted no time topping the streaming charts, and notching Jordan’s belt with another hit.

What Exactly is ‘Swapped’?

After the R-rated violence of Sinners, Jordan took his talents to a world of cute and animated woodland creatures for Swapped. From Tangled director Nathan Greno, Swapped tells the story of Ollie (Jordan), a sea otter-like creature called a Pookoo, who accidentally swaps bodies with a bird named Ivy (Ted Lasso star Juno Temple). After facing off as rivals, the two are forced to work together to survive and save the island they both call home.

In addition to Jordan and Temple, Swapped also features the vocal talents of Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, Justina Macado, Nate Torrence, and John Ratzenberger. The film has received mixed-to-positive reviews since its release, with many praising the beauty of its animation and its important environmental themes.

Swapped was an instant hit on Netflix after it was released on May 1st (it was also available in select theaters the same day). The animated adventure unsurprisingly rose straight to the top of the Netflix movie charts and stayed in that number one spot for over a week. As of Monday morning, Swapped sits in second on the Netflix charts, only trailing the newly released Remarkably Bright Creatures.

‘Swapped’ Sounds a Little Like ‘Hoppers’

It’s probably just the timing, but one can’t be blamed for connecting the dots between Swapped and Hoppers, the most recent film from Pixar Animation Studios. Released back in March, Hoppers is also a film full of woodland creatures that directly addresses important environmental issues, and its plot revolves around the concept of body-swapping. However, when you pull back a little, it’s easy to see just how different the two films are.

Hoppers is about a human girl who takes over the mind of a synthetic beaver to try and save a precious piece of nature from the development of a new highway. She bonds with the animals of her beloved glade and tries to unite them against her town’s mayor. Swapped, on the other hand, follows an entirely fictional collection of plant-animal hybrids, two of which wind up trading places and are forced to see each other’s perspectives. While both aim to teach unity and empathy, one is about our interactions with the natural world as humans, while the other is a more magical, whimsical adventure in a fantastical realm.

This isn’t a situation like A Bug’s Life and Antz — the latter of which was made to intentionally undercut the former. Swapped and Hoppers are simply two environmentally conscious stories that utilize very different takes on the body-swapping idea. The biggest reason they seem so similar is likely that their release dates happen to be just a couple of months apart.

It isn’t a Hoppers redux by any strech, but Swapped is still absolutely worth the time, especially with the talents of Jordan and Temple leading the way.