Ice Princess (2005)

With the help of her coach, her mom, and the boy who drives the Zamboni machine, nothing can stop Casey (Trachtenberg) from realizing her dream to be a champion figure skater.

Director:

Tim Fywell

Writers:

Meg Cabot (story), Hadley Davis (story)

Stars:

Michelle Trachtenberg, Kim Cattrall, Trevor Blumas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Casey Carlyle
Joan Cusack	...	Joan Carlyle
Amy Stewart	...	Ann
Steve Ross	...	Mr. Bast
Hayden Panettiere	...	Gen Harwood
Kim Cattrall	...	Tina Harwood
Trevor Blumas	...	Teddy Harwood
Kirsten Olson	...	Nikki Fletcher
Jocelyn Lai	...	Tiffany Lai
Connie Ray	...	Nikki's Mom
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee	...	Tiffany's Dad
Roy Bradshaw	...	Tiffany's Coach
Mark Hird	...	Nikki's Coach
Ben Gilbank	...	Brian
Thanh Nguyen	...	Hot Dog Kid

Storyline

A high-school bookworm transforms into a swan. Brainy Casey Carlyle has never quite fit in. Caught between her fantasy of becoming a championship figure skater and her strong-willed mother, who has her on the fast track to Harvard, she can only hope to be like Nikki, Tiffany and Gen--three elite skating prodigies who are ruthlessly competing on the US National circuit (and have attitudes to match). But when Casey gets the chance to train with Gen and her coach, a disgraced former skating champion who also happens to be Gen's mother, she must dash her own mother's hopes in order to pursue her dream. Now, with only the support of Gen's teenage brother, a hunky Zamboni driver, Casey takes on the challenge of her life when she finds herself competing against the best to make it into the championship circuit and become a real "ice princess."

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Plot Keywords:

camcorder | female coach | believe in yourself | bloody feet | caucasian | 

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Taglines:

From Scholastic...To Fantastic!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Eisprinzessin

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,807,471, 20 March 2005

Gross USA:

$24,402,491

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,645,491

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Bridget Johnson Films, Skate Away Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both mom and daughter relationship actresses share the same birthday. For instance, Michelle Trachtenberg and Joan Cusack share the same birthday, October 11, but not the same year. Hayden Panettiere and Kim Cattrall share the same birthday, August 21, but not the same year.

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Goofs

Networks like ESPN do not broadcast junior regional ice-skating competitions live.

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Quotes

Tina Harwood: [to Gen] Where have you been? You are aware you had practice half an hour ago?
Gen Harwood: Yes, I'm aware.
Tina Harwood: And?
Gen Harwood: And I'm done.
Tina Harwood: Done?
Gen Harwood: I'm quitting.
Tina Harwood: You've got to be kidding. That's ridiculous.
Gen Harwood: No, I was ridiculous for putting myself through this for so long. We both know I don't have the talent.
Tina Harwood: Perseverance is nine tenths of mastering any sport.
Gen Harwood: Do you know what I want? No, you don't know what I want because you never cared.

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Connections

Referenced in Vamos a por vosotros (2011)

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Soundtracks

Reachin' for Heaven
Written by Dean Pitchford and Desmond Child
Produced by Desmond Child
Orchestra arranged by Jennifer Hammond
Performed by Diana DeGarmo
Courtesy of 19 Recordings/The RCA Records Label

User Reviews

Disney Fluff - Fun, but it missed it's potential

Ice Princess was typical family fluff that was an enjoyable hour and 1/2 escape from the tensions of real life. With that in mind, it was a great success as entertainment and release from stress.

The plot is simple and "age worn" - a teen named Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is torn between fulfilling the dreams of her parent or following her own dreams. Nothing new here. Yet, the supporting characters of Gen Harwood (Hayden Panettiere) and her mother Tina (Kim Cattrall) also have the same situation. Tina, a skating coach, wants her daughter to become a skating champion, an achievement Tina was unable to fulfill in her own skating career. Thus, both Gen and Casey have something in common: pleasing mom or pleasing themselves.

Yet, Gen and Casey were dramatically different. Casey was a brilliant student with her eyes on Harvard while being gifted at skating, too. Meanwhile, Gen excelled only by becoming a slave to skating and sacrificing her schoolwork.

And it is with that difference that I believe Disney missed the potential. The "Casey's" of the world are few and far between, and it is difficult to relate to them: "Oh, gee. Will I go to Harvard because I'm brilliant at school? Or will I become a skating champion because I'm brilliant on the ice?" Because she is so distant from the vast majority of people, she never truly grabbed my empathy.

Gen, on the other hand, is very, very real. She is being pushed into a sport by a parent, and her social life and academics are suffering. She faces a real dilemma. Plus, she has no hope of excelling at either academics or skating. Her social life is her only escape from this vise. And Gen is endearing because she seems to have a "good heart" despite the difficulty. And how often we see kids with "good hearts" trapped by situations.

I believe that most of us can relate much better to Gen than to Casey. I would have preferred the character of Gen to be the focus of the story with Casey's character in the supporting role. It would be tougher, grittier, and more meaningful to the audience.

Yeah, we all cheered for Casey, but I was cheering for Gen even more.