Ice Princess | | Cast : | Kim Cattrall, Michelle Trachtenberg, Trevor Blumas | | Director : | Tim Fywell | | Studio : | Buena Vista Home Vid | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | March 18, 2005 | | DVD Released Date : | July 19, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | G (General Audience) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 09, 2005 | | Summary | A way above average film teen genre film | Content
 | This is a surprisingly good film that completely exceeds the normal expectations placed upon the kind of product usually produced for the target audience. It is also quite intelligent and does not pander or insult or exploit the intelligence of young kids (or adults) the way some do, such as THE PRINCESS DIARIES II. The latter is a kind of wish fulfillment fantasy, almost pornography for little girls, while THE ICE PRINCESS would seem to be heading into the same direction, but stops to become something more.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who most of us know as Dawn from BUFFY (a controversial character, disliked by many, though I confess that I enjoyed her very much), does a great job in the lead role. In BUFFY she often seemed to be a bit too tightly wound in her role, a bit too intense. She seems more relaxed here, and she seems comfortable taking the central role. She plays Casey Carlyle, a young physics whiz whose feminist (in a good way) mother is pushing her to limits intellectually. When her high school physics teacher urges her to compete for a physics scholarship by taking on an additional project, she decides to study the physics of jumps in ice-skating. She begins studying the skaters at a local competitive ice-skating rink, and the mastery of theory makes her want to put it into practice. Much of what follows is predictable. Casey proves to be a natural at skating, and suddenly her desire grows to make her want to be as good a skater as she can be. Michelle is very convincing in these sequences. Anyone who saw her in BUFFY, especially in the famous musical episode, where she forewent singing to perform a surprising capable dance number, knows that she has a natural dancer's build, with long legs and ever longer arms. She seems incapable of an awkward pose. I know there are all kinds of vagaries attached to billing in Hollywood films, but by any standard it is bizarre that Michelle Trachtenberg was third billed in this film after the far less important Joan Cusack and Kim Cattrall.
The competitive skating sections of the film are far more convincing than usual in such films. Partly this is because actual competitive skaters are used in almost all of the skating roles. And while they certainly used a stunt double for Michelle Trachtenberg's more challenging bits, there are enough moments where you can tell she is clearly doing her own skating to do her considerable credit.
The movie is not just about ice skating, but about the way that parents often impose their expectations onto their children, and the struggle that takes place before parents allow them to formulate their own dreams. This comes out not just in Casey's feminist and academic mother resisting Casey's wanting to fulfill her potential as a skater instead of a physicist, but in Kim Cattrall's character forcing her daughter into becoming a skater just as she was. Ironically, by the end of the film both mothers reluctantly allow their daughters to follow their own paths.
A pet peeve: academic inaccuracy. You don't "blow off Harvard" in the interview process. In fact, interviews with colleges play a minimal role in the acceptance process. In fact, being a competitive skater with good grades would dramatically increase your chances of getting into any good school. The best schools do not want one-dimensional academic grinds, but almost insist on well-rounded students with wide-ranging interests. OK, off my soapbox.
I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good movie, but I especially encourage parents to gently encourage their kids to see this exceptional movie in lieu of awful pieces of materialistic wish fulfillment pornography like THE PRINCESS DIARIES II. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 09, 2005 | | Summary | Disney on Ice... | Content
| Disney remains one of the only studios to pay respect to the youth of each generation. Their effort ICE PRINCESS continues a long line of stories that follows a young person in search of a dream. In this case, a teen with a mind for science but a heart for figure skating learns to bridge those two worlds. Along the journey she overcomes many obstacles, most prominently, her over-bearing mother's ideals for her daughter. This and other recurring themes are always a staple of these films.
Michelle Trachtenberg is the gifted teen, torn between a Harvard Scholarship and the dream of figure skating glory. We all know what she will eventually choose. After all, who would ever want to see a movie where they choose the intellectual route? Her run-ins with other competitors, and a two-faced skating coach (Kim Cattrall) dominate the story. It offers obvious twist and turns along the way to the finals.
The film is a most comfortable fit for pre-teen to early teen girls, an enjoyment of figure skating will even push the film from good to great. There isn't much to entice teenage boys to the film; the only male character is a super supportive boyfriend who drives a zamboni... (Okay, driving a zamboni might be interesting for teenage boys). This is the films major weakness, a lack of crossover appeal. Boys will be fidgety, older teen girls may long for something more MEAN GIRLS hip, Adults will have seen the story a hundred times on ABC AFTERSCHOOL SPECIALS. And most of all, the film is more a teen drama then anything else, lacking a consistent sense of humor.
The DVD itself has a nice transfer and offers a cast commentary as well as an extended opening scene which leaves little impression. Additionally, there are a couple music videos that may interest the Mouseketeer set. Yes, Disney again cross pollenates the world, with the film featuring a soundtrack for sale the way we used to get lunch boxes. ICE PRINCESS is an enjoyable film with a few short years of shelf life.
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| Rating | | | Date | August 07, 2005 | | Summary | Loved It! | Content
| I loved this movie and I am a 29 year old male! I just sat back and enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun with an appealing cast. Michelle Trachtenburg proves she can carry a film, because she's the reason why I enjoyed the fulm so much. Her characters passion, excitement, love, and determination made me root for her. Kim Cattrall was great as the tough coach, and the always enjoyable Joan Cusack was great as Casey's mom. The film takes a nice little turn into grown up drama, but not so much that it loses it's kid appeal. Honestly I was shocked I loved this movie. C'mon a 29 year old male liking an ice skating movie from Disney? Give it a shot. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 07, 2005 | | Summary | Never Give Up On Your Dreams | Content
| This movie is good. It has a good message, know matter how many people try and bring you down never give up on your dreams. I'm not going to explain the plot because other people have already done that. My mom and I both enjoyed this movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 05, 2005 | | Summary | Predictable, Bland Family Drama | Content
| Disney and family films are two things that go hand in hand. We can always count on the company Walt founded to produce some good, quality entertainment each year and it often releases a few full- length movies each season with a family- oriented theme. "Ice Princess" is a film made for kids and while it isn't necessarily a bad movie, it certainly doesn't measure up to some of Disney's better works.
The main problem I have with this movie is its total simplicity. The plot is basic and predictable: A girl daydreams about becoming a star ice skater; fantasizes as she watches other skaters; determines to go for her dream; encounters some resistance from parents; and finally achieves her dream in the end. You already know what will happen after the first fifteen minutes.
Because this film is aimed at the 12 and under child market (female more than male) it doesn't have much substance. There are no twists to the plot, no major crises, no huge conflicts or barriers to overcome, etc. Even the main character's mother offers very little resistance to her daughter's choice for a new career. She wants her little girl to become an academic scholar at Harvard, but changes her mind very fast. It's a little unrealistic and it makes for a dull motion picture.
Kim Cattrall plays the coach in this movie and I found her to be quite good and believable. This is a very different role for Cattrall who is best known for her stint as television's sultry Samantha Jones. But Catrrall alone cannot save this movie. It is recommended only for those with young daughters in the home. Everyone else will find bland and forgettable.
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