It hasn’t exactly been a good start for the relatively new animation studio Skydance Animation. Their first effort was the appalling Lucky, followed by the decidedly average Spellbound.

They have come on leaps and bounds however, with this their third feature, an imaginative creature body swap tale.

Living on a remote island in the valley is Ollie (Michael B. Jordan) with the rest of the Pookus. They have learnt, the hard way, that they are safer to stick to themselves, after when Ollie was young, he made friends with a young Javan, a bird-like creature, and taught it how to eat their main food, piplets, which then found its entire race eat their supplies and force the Pookus into hiding.

Now older, Ollie finds a way to deter the Javan eating their food crop, but it results in him being chased, and falling down a hole, where he lands on a magical pod, as told to him by his grandmother, that sees him transform, into a Javan.

He soon meets up with three Javan, sisters, led by the bossy Ivy (Juno Temple), who see a fellow Javan before them, and help him out.

It is the first step in a big adventure for not only Ollie, but all the animals in the valley.

Nathan Greno has been working in animation since 1998, but has only ever directed one feature. Thankfully it was a good one, helming Disney’s entertaining 2010 Tangled. It’s taken him sixteen years to return to directing, but at least he’s back with a bang, as Swapped is a jaw-droppingly good work of art.

Its animation is next level stuff, with a world that’s been stunningly brought to life; from sumptuous environ effects, such as impressive water effects; to creative character design, that brings an almost alien element to natural creatures, such as birch tree reindeer and pinecone hedgehogs. It’s other worldly, but still relatable with charming characters.

It’s story is pure gobbledygook, with tree-like creatures known as Dzos, having the ability to produce pods that allow any creature to change into another. But just go with it, and you’ll be in for an incredible ride.

And at its earthy heart it has some serious themes, about walking in someone’s else’s shoes – or wings in this case, literally – as a way of learning and accepting other races, and moving on to be able to live in harmony with them.

The casting is great, and Greno probably thinks he lucked out in getting Jordan Involved before the Oscars, as having an Oscar winner as your main character certainly won’t do any harm promoting it. His on-screen relationship with Juno Temple’s character is adorable, that develops organically.

It’s most definitely a stonker of a family film, which is almost too good for youngsters, which adults can just enjoy and feel child-like watching it.

It’s also great that the animation is full screen, steering clear of widescreen presentation, allowing your entire screen to embrace the enthralling world created for it. It’s almost a pity that it’s a Netflix release, as it would certainly look impressive on the big screen.

With animations recently released being on the flimsy side, Swapped is an undeniably joyous affair, with colourful and creative critters embarking on an adventure within a truly beautiful world.

It is a statement animation release, raising the bar to an exceptionally high standard, that will hopefully make other studios raise their collective eyebrow, and set about them also raising their game, because they’re going to have to do just that, to compete with such a marvellous, wondrous gem such as this.