Netflix Just Added Ryan Reynolds’ Fantasy Animation (& It’s Criminally Underappreciated)

Ryan Reynolds is one of the most recognizable and popular Hollywood actors. While the actor is best known for his performances in blockbuster films like Deadpool and Free Guy, he does have a few underappreciated gems in his credits. As fans look ahead to Reynolds’ upcoming 2026 releases like Mayday and Avengers: Doomsday, they can now stream his highly underrated family fantasy on Netflix after it joined the platform this April.

In 2024, Reynolds teamed up with John Krasinski for IF, a live-action animated fantasy comedy rooted in the magic of childhood. Two years after it brought home $190 million at the global box office and some pretty mixed reviews from critics, IF started streaming on Netflix on April 9th. The movie stars Cailey Fleming as Bea, a young girl who, while facing a family crisis, gains the ability to see abandoned imaginary friends and embarks on a magical quest with her neighbor to reunite them with their kids before they disappear.

Ryan Reynolds IF Divided Critics and Audiences

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IF isn’t Reynolds’ worst-rated film by a long stretch (that title goes to R.I.P.D. with a 13% critic score), but it didn’t exactly win over critics. The movie earned mixed reviews and a rotten 51% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics finding issues with the movie’s aimless plot and inconsistent tone. That stands in stark contrast to the film’s fresh 85% audience rating, a number that makes it Reynold’s ninth-highest-rated movie in terms of general audience consensus.

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The 2024 movie isn’t a perfect film, but it’s a pretty fun, imaginative watch, and definitely not one that should be dismissed as a purely children’s movie. Although some aspects of the movie can drag or be a bit confusing, and other movies have done the heartwarming, whimsical narrative centered on magical realism a bit better, IF is a pretty great heartwarming, imaginative movie for both children and adults. The film does a great job at bringing its extensive cast of unique, CGI-animated imaginary friends to life on screen, and it does an even better job at evoking a strong sense of nostalgia and emotional catharsis for adults with a focus on the loss of childhood wonder and the real-life struggles of being an adult. IF also manages to strike the perfect balance of laugh-out-loud humor with emotional, tear-jerking moments, making it an all-around strong, feel-good family adventure.

What’s New on Netflix?

IF is one of the latest arrivals to Netflix’s streaming lineup this April, a month that has already been pretty great for the platform. So far this month, Netflix has stocked other hit films like Along Came Polly, the Madagascar movies, several Mission: Impossible films, 2022’s Scream, and Netflix’s new shark movie Thrash. Throughout the month, other movies will join the catalog, including Halloween Ends on April 13th, Him on April 19th, and Apex on April 24th.

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