Sumith Prasad
Pickles “completes” the Walker family in Netflix’s comedy film ‘Family Switch.’ The Walkers treat their dog as another family member, which explains why he is their constant companion. Regardless of the family occasion, he joins them along with the toddler Miles. When the Walkers’ bodies get switched with one another, Pickles and Miles swap their bodies, increasing the challenges the family has to face. When they look for a way to reverse the switch, Pickles runs around in Miles’ body and Miles walks as a dog. Pickles is a real dog and his fate in the movie is as intriguing as the tale of the human Walkers! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Oliver Plays Pickles
A thespian pooch named Oliver plays Pickles in ‘Family Switch.’ “That dog was a more disciplined and astute thespian than a great many actors I’ve worked with in the past,” McG, who helmed the film, told Netflix’s Tudum. “Just hitting the marks, being taught on the spot, filling the set with unbelievably pungent gas, all of it,” he added. CGI was seemingly used to conceive the shots in which Pickles walks like a human baby. The VFX team apparently used Oliver’s appearance to create the same shots. Otherwise, Oliver deserves credit for Pickles throughout the film.
Oliver was a noteworthy presence among the cast members of the film during the production. In the credits, he can be seen playing with Matthias Schweighöfer, who portrays the Walkers’ neighbor Rolf, and stopping him from completing his lines. Oliver was trained by Mark Forbes, Andrea Ver Meer, Thomas Roach, Mathilde de Cagny, and Katheryn Lussier. Forbes’ credits as an animal trainer/coordinator include projects like ‘Strays’ and Tom Hanks-starrer ‘Finch.’ Andrea was part of the cast of Jennifer Lopez’s ‘The Mother’ and FOX’s ‘Call Me Kat,’ while Roach trained animals in the sets of ‘Django Unchained.’ Mathilde’s contribution was pivotal in the production of Matt Damon-starrer ‘We Bought a Zoo’ and Lussier trained animals for ‘Me Time’ and ‘9-1-1: Lone Star.’
Pickles Gets Swapped Back to His Real Body
When the Walkers realize that Pickles and Miles’ bodies got swapped, they hand them over to Rolf while trying to solve the predicament. At Rolf’s house, Pickles plays in Miles’ body. His behavior makes Rolf think that Miles is spending too much time with Pickles since he behaves like a dog, without knowing that he is a dog in a human baby’s body. Meanwhile, Miles gets treated well by Rolf, who mistakes him for a dog. When the baby takes a bag of diapers to him in Pickles’ body, the dog trainer gets immersed in happiness. He cherishes the time he gets to spend with a “dog” who looks after his own hygiene.
Pickles and Miles’ bodies get switched back when the Walkers repair their broken family to reconnect with one another. After fulfilling the objective Angelica presents before them, the Walkers wake up the next day and see Pickles, who is in his real body, licking his face to confirm that the switch is reversed.
Read More: Family Switch Ending: How Do the Walkers Switch Their Bodies Back?
