Summary
Among the many great, magical characters in John Krasinski’sIF, Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) stands out for her personality and her classic animation.IFhas one of the most stacked castsin recent movie memory with Ryan Reynolds, Fiona Shaw, and Krasinski himself in live-action roles, and a who’s who of popular actors in voice roles, including everyone from Jon Stewart to Awkwafina. These voice actors portray the many imaginary friends that Bea (Cailey Fleming) and Cal (Reynolds) help relocate to needy children.
LikeFoster’s Home for Imaginary FriendsbeforeIF, the creatures in the movie all have unique and charming designs.One of the main imaginary friends is Blossom, who is the second “IF” that Bea meets, and it’s her appearance that’s enough to make the young girl faint. Bea later discovers that Blossom was her grandmother’s (Fiona Shaw) imaginary friend from when she was young and when her grandmother remembers, it’s enough to inspire Bea to help the other imaginary friends find their past human friends as well. Such an important character deserves a memorable design, and Blossom definitely has one.
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IF’s Blossom Was Inspired By Betty Boop & Busby Berkeley
Blossom is a humanoid-butterfly-looking character designed in the “rubber hose” style of animation, which was popular in the 1920s and early 1930s. Most animation from that era was done in this style, maybe most famously employed by Fleischer Studios, who created characters like Popeye, Koko the Clown, and Betty Boop, with whom Blossom shares some design similarities. The style is notable for the glossy, latex, look of the character’s skin and a curvature to their silhouettes that resemble a rubber hose.
It’s an old-fashioned way of animation and is a perfect fit for a character who was the imaginary friend of an elderly woman who likely grew up watching the Fleischer Studios cartoons.
It’s an old-fashioned style of animation and is a perfect fit for a character who was the imaginary friend of an elderly woman who likely grew up watching the Fleischer Studios cartoons. Blossom, like the other IFs, is three-dimensional, which presented a challenge forIF’s creative team as Betty Boop is a 2-D character. VFX supervisor for the film, Chris Lawrence, toldIndieWire,
“Blossom was a really [tough] character. because a lot of the early 2D stuff is very difficult to realize in three dimensions and to make sculpturally look good from all angles. And we had to do that because of the way John shoots with roaming cameras and [Steadicam]. But we got these great sculpts, and then Arslan’s animation team took over turning 2D drawings into 3D.”
That wasn’t the only creative hurdle for the design team. There is one scene where multiple versions of Blossom perform a choreographed water routine in the style of a Busby Berkeley movie, a famed director and music choreographer who brought the kaleidoscopic, geometric-pattern style of dance numbers to Hollywood. Lawrence said about the scene,
“We were doing the previs for this huge swimming number [with scans shot at a pool in Greenbrier, West Virginia], and John described this moment of crazy stuff that’s happening in the pool, and we both talked about paying homage to Esther Williams. And one of the things John told us from the very beginning was tangibility. So, for us, one of the key challenges was always making [the IFs] feel real when they move and act, particularly with Blossom and not making her look weird. But underwater, you can bend physics. But what was important and challenging was the camera work and choreography to make it look nice.”
Blossom is a wholly unique character who is immediately easy to trust and like thanks to her design being so “wholesome”.It’s a visual style that’s aimed at children but also presents a certain amount of tenderness and wisdom, which immediately helps to show what kind of character Blossom is.
Esther Williams was a competitive swimmer and actress who performed in “aquamusicals” in the ’40s and ’50s.
Why Blossom Voice Actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge Was Casting Genius
Waller-Bridge Also Created And Stars In The Series Fleabag
The design of Blossom certainly helps to make the character work inIF, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s voice work is equally critical. Blossom is a sassy, intelligent, and ultimately kind-hearted IF,all qualities Waller-Bridge characters often have. She’s quick-thinking and there’s a little bit of sadness in her voice that helps to sell how long Blossom has been without Bea’s grandmother.
As series likeFleabaghave shown, Waller-Bridge is a unique talent. She can play real characters who can’t be defined by just one attribute. Her title character inFleabagis tough but insecure, sweet but sharp-tongued, wickedly intelligent but prone to making big mistakes. She’s real. Waller-Bridge brings that well-rounded confidence to Blossom andIF. She’s a character who needs to be opinionated about her work and has a lot of energy, but can also be sweet to a scared young girl. There are few like Waller-Bridge who can pull this off.
IF
Cast
IF, originally titled Imaginary Friends, is a comedic fantasy film written and directed by John Krasinski. A young girl who experiences a tragic moment early in her life discovers she can see the imaginary friends of others who leave them behind as they grow older.
