Swapped 2026

I watched a children’s movie last week – Swapped (Netflix). (Yes, I still watch children’s movies; the child in me lifts its head and its desires now and then. I wish it did so more often, but most of the time it stays suppressed.). This blog is a movie review too.  (I am not advertising Netflix).

The story goes like this:

The Pookoo live by one rule: hide today, alive tomorrow. For ages, these chipmunk‑like creatures thrived on their quiet island in the middle of the valley river. Predators were rare, piplet seeds were abundant, and life was predictable.

But Ollie was different. Curious and eager to explore, he ventured beyond the island and introduced himself to a Javan - a bird. Though the Javan couldn’t understand him, Ollie taught it how to open piplet pods. Unfortunately, Ivy, the bird, summoned its entire flock. Soon, Javans swarmed the island, devouring every seed. The Pookoo were forced underground, scraping by on leftovers as winter approached.

Ollie blamed himself -  until a Javan attack sent him tumbling into a hole and onto a glowing purple pod. When he awoke, he had transformed into a Javan. His attacker, Ivy, had become a Pookoo. Even stranger, they could now understand each other -  and every creature in the valley.

Ollie remembered legends of the Dvo, gentle orchard‑bearing elephants who once grew magical pods capable of transforming one animal into another. With help from a wise fish named Boogle, Ollie and Ivy learn that more pods may still exist. To return to their true forms, they must work together -  and perhaps discover something deeper along the way.

Ollie and Ivy begin as trusting young ones, but soon mature into distrustful enemies, each raised to believe the other species is dangerous. Their body swap forces them into conversation, revealing how old grievances and assumptions shaped their prejudice. And the swap opens their eyes. As they argue, a companion warns them that going alone leads to dark places and urges them to work together. Their journey proves him right: cooperation allows them to overcome challenges neither could face alone. Through shared struggle, they develop empathy, recognize how misunderstanding fuelled their hostility, and discover that unity -  not fear -  reveals who they truly are.

Why am I narrating this children’s movie to you -  a mature reader? Because as I watched it, memories of the morning news and a story shared by a cousin echoed in my mind.

My cousin told me about a religious leader from my own community: “He was so good compassionate and humble before he became the leader -  (in his ‘immature’ stage before taking the position.) Now he is arrogant and abusive. What happened, we do not know.”

And we hear similar things about other leaders -  swapping parties, blaming each other, blaming the past. Always finding fault with other nations, tribes, languages, faiths, or political leanings. Positions changing their mindsets. 

What happened? I wonder.

One thing seems clear: they “matured.” The child in them -  the innocence of childhood -  is no longer there. They (maybe I too) have matured so much that I believe only I am good, right, and just. Perhaps position swaps - moving from party to party, or from non‑position to position -  have altered their inner circuitry. 

With election results coming out today in some states, there will be more of this “mature rhetoric” and a bit of “righteous violence,” justified as necessary by leaders and powers that be.

Is there an answer to this? Perhaps - through a kind of body swap.

Swap your body with that of an innocent, “immature” child, and suddenly you begin to see the other through a different set of spectacles. Cultivate a bit of the child’s immaturity within us.

Or swap bodies with your enemy, your opposing party, or the one you hate -  even a nation -  just for a season of three months. You might emerge with a different set of perspectives.

Or, as a wise mentor once told me: Do not let your position define you. Let who you are define the position. And who you are should be -  the child within you.

As the Good Book reminds us: “Unless you return to square one and start over like children, you will not even get a glimpse of the kingdom” - the kingdom of peace, justice, and joy offered to us.

I should learn the art of “swapping” bodies and "cultivating" the child in me!