Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms' Christmas Plans Go Awry in Netflix's “Family Switch” Trailer (Exclusive)

The body-swap family comedy is on Netflix Nov. 30

Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms are changing things up for the holidays.

The two star in Family Switch, a Christmas comedy from Netflix in which Garner, 51, and Helms, 49, play Jess and Bill Walker, a married couple with three kids whose family life is upended by a supernatural body swap on the most important day of each member's life.

PEOPLE is debuting the first trailer, which shows not only Jess and Bill switching forms with one another but their teenage daughter CC (Wednesday's Emma Myers) and son Wyatt (Good Boys' Brady Noon) as well.

McG, who directed and co-produced the movie (which also stars Rita Moreno, Xosha Roquemore, Paul Scheer, Pete Holmes and more) tells PEOPLE the story is unique in that it involves both the parents and siblings switching bodies — plus the baby of the family with the dog.

"It just adds a twist, and it's a hook and a way into a movie that's about empathy and walking a mile in each other's shoes," says the director, 55, who is known for films like Charlie's Angels (2000) and The Babysitter (2017). "But just the six-way switch, I think, sets us apart, because there's just more fun to be having."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Related: The Best Christmas Movies to Stream on Netflix

Of the yuletide setting, McG says he thought the seasonal backdrop "added just a component of what everybody needs right now," in the sense that "the idea of home is where the heart is" during the holidays.

"I think a lot of people associate with gathering, when your family is scattered around the country or the world, and it gives you an idea and an opportunity to come back together," he says. "That isn't always easy. I just like the idea of the family viewing experience and people talking about, 'I want to see this' or 'I want to see that.' Hopefully Family Switch is an easy one for everyone to go, 'That sounds like a good idea for the whole family to gather around to watch and enjoy.' "

The director says the "North Stars of the feeling we're trying to capture" with the movie include another holiday classic, Home Alone, and another body-swap classic, Big. (It also includes several nods to other feel-good body-swap films, like 17 Again and Garner's own 13 Going on 30.)

"There's a point of entry for [each] member of any given family," McG says. "And even without that, I just think there's always room for a great film in any genre."

McG says Garner, who is also a producer on the film, is someone he had mutual friends with and has known somewhat "for 20-plus years," but Family Switch finally gave them a chance to work together — and "a big giggle."

He also praises not only Helms' comedic chops in projects like The Office and The Hangover, but his musical prowess as well, a big part of his character in Family Switch.

As for Myers, 21, and Noon, 17, McG says they are "a couple of firecrackers" who "really held up" opposite Garner and Helms.

"When I saw that little kid, Brady Noon, do 'I Want to Know What Love Is' in Good Boys, I'm like, 'I've got to have him. He must be in this movie,' " the director says.

McG also worked with Myers' Wednesday costar Jenna Ortega on The Babysitter, and tapped the actress for advice about Myers. Ortega, 21, had nothing but "rave reviews" for her.

"And she wasn't kidding," McG says. "I've worked with a lot of actors, and [Emma is] just so talented. Jen and I would both marvel almost daily every time Emma would take the set and just perform. She was magnificent."

Related: All the New 2023 Christmas Movies Coming to Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, Great American Family and More

Asked about landing Moreno, 91, for her mysterious role, McG says that, on set, the Hollywood legend was "very, very professional and just a spitfire of energy. And you feel like she's just getting started."

"There'll never be another one like her. She's amazing. We're very, very lucky to have her," he adds.

McG jokes that, at risk of sounding "syrupy," in all seriousness, the biggest lesson he wants audiences to take from Family Switch is to seek "first to understand, then be understood."

"You can listen and not take it to heart, but to understand ... you have to go into consideration and thought, and go over what you listened to," he says. "Once you understand where the person you're talking to is coming from — be it your mom, your kid, your dog or your baby — then maybe you can hope to be understood. It'll all feel a little better in the end."

Family Switch is streaming on Netflix Nov. 30.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.