IF Movie Family Watch Party

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Have you seen the movie IF yet? Whether you have had a chance to see this heartwarming and hilarious film yet or not, you have another chance tomorrow, as IF is available to buy or rent on Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment on Tuesday, June 18, 2024! This movie is truly perfect for the whole family, so today I am sharing inspiration for how to throw the perfect at-home family watch party. Just like the movie, these watch party details are full of comforting vibes and ways for the whole family to use their imagination. IF, which stars Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, and John Krasinski is a story about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends (known as IFs). She embarks on a magical journey to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids, before they disappear. It’s an adventure you’ll need to believe to see! And to make it even more fun, try some of these watch party ideas! I’m sharing some easy DIY party decorations, comforting food and drink ideas, some creative activities for the whole family to do together, and free printables. Grab your family and all of your IFs, and have a fun and imaginative movie night!

More about IF – Available on Digital on June 18, 2024!

The perfect movie to enjoy with the whole family, IF stars Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, Krasinski, and Fiona Shaw along with a cavalcade of top-tier voice talent, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell, who bring a delightful array of imaginary friends to life.

Fans who purchase the film on Digital(available June 18, 2024), 4K Ultra HD, or Blu-ray (available August 13, 2024) will have access to over 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes bonus content to explore the whimsical world of imaginary friends.  See how each IF came to life, hear how filmmakers made the imaginary feel real, go on location in New York from Brooklyn Heights to Coney Island, and don’t miss the hysterical gag reel! Here is some of the bonus you can look forward to:

• The Imagination Behind IF—Hear from writer and director John Krasinski plus the cast and crew as they dive deeper into the process of bringing their imagination to life on screen.

• Imagining Imaginary Friends— Take a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of each imaginary friend.
• Giving IFs a Voice— Meet the all-star cast responsible for voicing each character. Hear from Steve Carrell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and more!

• Blending The Real and the Imaginary— Join John Krasinski as he incorporates a practical filmmaking approach to make the imaginary feel real.
• Tina Turner Forever!— Experience the reimagining of the iconic 80s Tina Turner music video as John Krasinski recreates this legendary sequence with the IFs.
• The Imaginative World of IF— From Brooklyn Heights to Coney Island, go behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew and experience the magic of New York City like never before.

• Gag Reel— You won’t have to imagine the hilarious antics on set once you check out this gag reel!
• Learn to Draw Blue from IF— Learn to draw the loveable and cuddly “Blue” in this fun, interactive tutorial.

IF is rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.

IF Watch Party Decorations

The decorations for the party include purple (a nod to IF Blue’s purple fur) with a carnival-esque Coney Island aesthetic and imaginative crayon drawings intertwined. The overall feel of the decorations (and the party in general) are cozy, feel-good vibes for curling up with your loved ones, your IFs, and some comfort food to watch the movie together.

I used purple tablecloths on the table and as the backdrop. Stuck to the backdrop are hand-drawn crayon drawings from one of the party activities (see below).

Balloon animals, which can also be a fun party activity to make (see more below), are also great additions to the table décor.

Food Ideas for an IF Party

Since the movie is so heartwarming, carnival and fair-style comfort food make the perfect party menu. We served mini versions of classic fair foods plus a few other ideas from the movie theme. Here are the details.

Coffee, Cocoa, and Croissants Bar

Both kids and adults can enjoy this beverage and snack station! I placed different flavors of hot cocoa, mini marshmallow, coffee creamer packets, and coffee stirrer sticks into these glass jars and set them out with mugs. On the same board I included croissants from my grocery store’s bakery along with small dishes of butter, jam, and marmalade.

Most of the other treats are bite-size and individually portioned carnival foods for some comforting nostalgia that also happen to make great movie snacks.

Mini Corn Dog Bites

I cooked frozen corn dog bites and added half of a coffee stirrer stick inserted into each to look like bite-size corn dogs. I served them in a plastic basket lined with checkered paper. You can also serve ketchup, mustard, and/or ranch dressing on the side for dipping.

Kettle Corn

You’ve got to have popcorn for a movie watch party, so we opted to use the fair-classic sweet and salty kettle corn. I served them in these mini red and white striped popcorn treat boxes that worked great with the party decor.

Mini Soft Pretzels

Frozen small soft pretzels in deli wrappers make for easy grabbing snacks. You can also serve cheese dip or other dips on the side if you’d like. Check out my easy pretzel dip recipes for inspiration!

Cotton Candy Pops

To make these mini cotton candy pops, I added balls of pink cotton candy to purple striped straws (I used the purple straws from this multi-colored set). To display them, I modified this cardboard cake pop decorating stand by cutting the top layer into a smaller circle and lining both tiers with more of the checkered paper I used for the mini corn dog bites basket.

Mini Funnel Cakes

I made an easy Funnel Cake Bites Recipe from Bakers Royale and served them in small 4-ounce treat cups, which I placed on the bottom row of the treat pop stand.

Frosted Circus Animal Cookies

Ready-made from the store and perfect for the party theme, place frosted animal cookies in a bowl and add it to your food table for a sweet snack. Feel free to pretend they’re little frosted IFs and play with them!

“Blue” Mocktail

The #FabFam loves a good mocktail (check out all our mocktail recipes)! We had to play on the name of the character Blue by making a purple mocktail that we call “Blue.” To make this simple, family-friendly non-alcoholic drink, mix lemonade, lemon-lime soda, and lavender syrup (I used Torani Lavender Syrup) together in a pitcher to taste. Place plastic cups and purple straws (from this set) on the side for serving.

IF Watch Party Activities

Watch IF with your loved ones and your IFs!

Of course, the main party activity is to watch IF on Digital! Since the movie centers around imagination, we have a few other fun activities to do together as a family to get everyone using their creativity.

Draw Your IF

This activity is fun for all ages! Even the grown-ups can use their imagination by drawing their imaginary friends. All you need are paper and crayons. You can then cut out the drawings and display them on the party food table backdrop.

IF Stuffed Animal Felt Craft

Now that everyone has dreamed up their IF and drawn them, turn them into a physical plush to cuddle with while watching the movie! For this simple craft project you’ll need:

• Different colors of felt (from the craft store)
• Scissors
• Stuffing fill
• Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
• Pom poms, pipe cleaners, and other craft accents
• Googly eyes

Cut out the shapes needed in the felt and use hot glue to seal the edges. Leave an opening to insert stuffing, then seal all the way with hot glue. If desired, glue on details like pom poms or googly eyes.

Make Balloon Animals

Another way to use the power of your imagination is to learn how to make balloon animals together. We found this surprisingly fun and easy to do using this kit, and now we feel like we’ve unlocked a new creative skill! The tutorials we found the most helpful were this Weiner Dog Balloon Animal and this Balloon Sword.

IF Watch Party Printables

The printable food signs I made helped add to the carnival aesthetic. I’ve made them all, including some blank ones, available to download and print at home for FREE! Here are links to the individual printable files:

• IF Watch Party Food Signs 1 (Coffee, Cocoa, Croissants and Corn Dog Bites)
• IF Watch Party Food Signs 2 (Kettle Corn and Pretzels)
• IF Watch Party Food Signs 3 (Funnel Cakes and Animal Cookies)
• IF Watch Party Food Signs 4 (Cotton Candy and Blank)
• IF Watch Party Food Signs 5 (Blank)
• IF Watch Party Food Signs 6 (Blank)

Our family really enjoyed watching this movie together and using our imagination for the fun party activities. Now you can join in on the adventure when IF arrives to buy or rent on Digital on June 18, 2024!