Ice Princess (Widescreen Edition)
by Tim Fywell
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Amy Stewart, Joan Cusack, Kim Cattrall, Michelle Trachtenberg, Trevor BlumasDirector: Tim Fywell
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Bridget Johnson
Producer: David Blackman
Producer: Karen Glass
Producer: Kristin Burr
Producer: Richard Cowan
Writer: Hadley Davis
Writer: Meg Cabot
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-07-19
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Ice Princess (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Even the Russian judge should give this film high marks
Summary: 5 Stars
It's amazing that the wonderfully brutal sport of hockey and the graceful sport of ice skating take place on the same surface - it took a while, but I've actually come to appreciate the sport of figure skating (well, women's figure skating, anyway). Ice Princess, naturally enough, is all about figure skating - but it's really about so much more than that: pursuing a dream, doing what you love, having the courage to take chances and make big decisions, dealing with parental pressure at its best and worst, competing with honor, and basically just figuring out what you want and taking control of your own life - and, yes, it's also about Michelle Trachtenberg looking absolutely gorgeous. Disney always puts out good films; Ice Princess is fairly predictable, but there's nothing wrong with a predictable story that inspires you and makes you feel good - and the film actually isn't quite as predictable as I thought it would be.
Michelle Trachtenberg plays Casey Carlyle, a science geek who loves skating out on the pond but is focused on winning a physics scholarship to Harvard. The story doesn't really work the high school misfit angle very hard, but it's not really the focus of the movie, anyway. Casey needs to come up with a personalized physics project to impress the Harvard recruiters, and so it is that she turns to ice skating with all of its angles, velocities, vectors, and mathematical implications as her ticket to achievement. It's not enough to watch and study the skaters training under the local coach Tina Harwood (Crow T. Robot's favorite actress, Kim Cattrall), though; she begins taking skating lessons herself (surrounded by much younger, competitive little students) to put her theories to the test, and she discovers she has some real talent. Before long, she's actually competing in sectionals - where she discovers just how cut-throat the figure skating profession can be. Standing at the first major crossroads of her life, Casey has to choose whether she will give up skating and go out and get that Harvard scholarship or if she will make the sacrifices necessary in order to see just how far she can go in the sport. Her mother and her coach complicate things. Casey's mother Joan (Joan Cusack) has always dreamed of her daughter matriculating at Harvard and finding lifelong success by using her brilliant mind, and she can't understand why Casey would even think about putting her academic future in jeopardy by pursuing what she sees as an impossible dream. Casey's coach, Tina, has always pushed her own daughter to succeed at figure skating, and she's rather ruthless about making that dream of hers come true - although it's really not what her daughter wants for herself. Joan and Tina could not be more different - yet in time we see they are surprisingly alike in terms of pushing their own dreams onto their daughters. It's a theme that any past, present, or future teenager knows well. In the end, Casey takes charge of her own life, risking not only Harvard but her close relationship with her mother. It may or may not be the best choice, but it is definitely the right choice for Casey.
The figure skating scenes are really well-done; a lot of the difficult moves are actually performed by doubles, but you'd never know it by watching the movie. You would also never know that two of the actresses are really skaters with no previous acting experience. The whole transformation of Casey from science geek novice on skates to medal-contending skater would never happen in the real world, nor would the actual competitions resemble those in the movie, but the film's story comes across as very believable. There's also a sweet touch of light romance on the side. It's a feel-good story that inspires you to pursue your own dreams, whatever they may be, and I enjoyed it immensely.
The DVD comes with some nice little extras. First, you have a number of deleted scenes, including a different opening to the film - one of these deleted scenes is quite interesting, for it would have put a much different spin on concluding events. Second, you have a couple of good music videos (Reach by Caleigh Peters and No One by Aly and A.J.) featuring plenty of shots from the film. The whole soundtrack of the film is excellent, by the way. Finally, you have an excellent commentary featuring four of the young actors. Most film commentaries tend to be extremely boring and surprisingly uninformative, but the commentary here is full of details and insight on the making of the film and is really a lot of fun to listen to because of the passion and fun these young stars bring to the whole experience of making the film. It would appear that Disney has done it again: Ice Princess is a wonderful film that is both fun and rewarding for viewers of all ages.
Summary of Ice Princess (Widescreen Edition)
From Walt Disney Pictures, the studio that brought you THE PRINCESS DIARIES, ICE PRINCESS is a hilarious and heartwarming coming-of-age story featuring popular teen star Michelle Trachtenberg (TV's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, EUROTRIP). Though she longs to become a graceful champion figure skater, gawky Casey Carlyle (Trachtenberg) has always been just a brainy high school misfit. And with a strong-willed mother (Joan Cusack -- RAISING HELEN) pushing her toward a top university, it seems as if she'll never get the chance to be like the elite skating prodigies she sees at the rink. But when Casey uses her head and follows her heart, she'll find herself transformed beyond her wildest dreams! Also starring Kim Cattrall, it's an uplifting and laugh-packed story your whole family will flip for!Like The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Ice Princess is a fairy tale for girls who dream about what they can be. Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is a physics geek who discovers a mathematical formula for those tricky figure-skating jumps that her fellow high schoolers are performing. It's all part of her plan to nab a juicy college scholarship, but a funny thing happens on the way to Harvard: Casey decides that in the name of research she should try the jumps herself, and she discovers that not only does she have talent, she likes figure skating. Will she throw away her Ivy League dreams in favor of those frilly dresses? Ice Princess isn't a movie that will change the world, and it treads lightly on the downsides of the sport (it costs a lot of money, rivalries are bitter, careers are short, and long hours mean less time to party!); there's also more than one unfortunate reference to how skating makes Casey look "hot." But just as Casey says: "What's wrong with wanting to feel strong and graceful and beautiful?", what's wrong with a movie that lets people explore their options and make decisions for themselves? The on-ice action is believable, and Trachtenberg is especially appealing in the lead role. With Kim Cattrall as the snarling coach, Joan Cusack as Casey's anxious mom, Trevor Blumas as the light romantic interest, Hayden Panettiere as the rival, and champion skaters Michelle Kwan and Brian Boitano as themselves.--David Horiuchi
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