Everything is coming up “Swapped.”
In the latest data share from Netflix Thursday, it was revealed that “Swapped,” from Skydance Animation, racked up a whopping 131 million views in the first half of the year. The movie is on its way to become the streaming service’s second most-watched original animated film ever, after last year’s cultural phenomenon “KPop Demon Hunters” (produced with their partners at Sony Pictures Animation).
“Swapped,” which stars Michael B. Jordan in his first post-Oscar role as a small woodland creature who switches places with a large, birdlike creature (voiced by Juno Temple), arrived on Netflix on May 1. The film was directed by Nathan Greno, who previously worked at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he directed “Tangled” in 2010 and served on the company’s senior creative leadership team, advising on movies like “Wreck-It Ralph” and “Frozen” (where he also served as a story artist).
And on the subject of “KPop Demon Hunters,” the film racked up another 130 million views during this period, despite premiering on the service more than a year ago. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the film debuted on Netflix on June 20, 2025, and went on to become the most-watched Netflix original film. It also won the Academy Awards for best animated feature and best original song (for “Golden”), making it the first non-Disney or Pixar animated film to win two Oscars.
The big animation numbers for Netflix original animated features comes on the cusp of a very busy fall and winter, with two highly-anticipated animated originals set to debut.
“Steps,” a fractured fairy tale about Cinderella’s supposedly wicked stepsisters, directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa, hits Netflix on Nov. 20. The film, which stars Ali Wong, Amanda Seyfried, Stephanie Hsu and Nikki Glaser, was recently previewed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Additionally, Brad Bird’s hotly anticipated “Ray Gunn” from Skydance Animation hits Netflix on Dec. 18. The sci-fi noir, starring Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson, will likely debut at one of the big fall festivals ahead of its streaming launch. It was also previewed at Annecy to a rapturous response.
