This article is about the 2005 film. For the episode from The Ghost and Molly McGee, see Ice Princess.
Ice Princess is a 2005 American figure-skating film directed by Tim Fywell, written by Meg Cabot and Hadley Davis, and starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Joan Cusack, Kim Cattrall, Hayden Panettiere, Trevor Blumas, Amy Stewart, and Kirsten Olson. The film centers on Casey Carlyle (Michelle Tratchtenberg), a normal teenager who gives up a promising future academic life in order to pursue her new found dream of being a professional figure skater. The film was released by Walt Disney Pictures in the United States theatrically on March 18, 2005. Ice Princess grossed $24 million in United States during its theatrical run. This film was rated G by the MPAA.
Summary[]
Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg), a brainy bookworm physics geek and ice skater, decides to use her academic skill by pursuing a scholarship offered to the top students in Connecticut. For the scholarship, Casey must do a "personal" project about physics. While watching a figure skating competition featuring Sasha Cohen, Casey realizes that her hobby, ice skating, would make a perfect project for getting her scholarship. At first, she watches other skaters at the local ice rink, but decides to try to improve her own skating by applying the physics and what she found out from analyzing other skaters. Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall), a disgraced former skater who owns the rink does not approve of her skaters being filmed while training, but Casey is able to talk to her about her project. Tina allows Casey to film the skaters, only on condition that Casey gets permission from the other parents. She becomes exceptionally good at skating, even skipping two levels to get a Junior Pass. She eventually decides to enter the regional performances and ask Tina if it's possible, she tells Casey she is free to sign up but there's an admission of $800. To help pay for it, Casey takes up a job at the rink's snack bar.
Unsure of what she really wants, Casey has a difficult time juggling schoolwork, skating, and her job at the food stand to pay for her skating lessons. Her mother (Joan Cusack) realizes that Casey's constant skating is affecting her schoolwork and tells her to stop.
Meanwhile, there is increasing tension between Casey's coach Tina, and her daughter, Gen (Hayden Panettiere). In this case, Tina, who manages the ice skating rink where Casey is training for competition, is putting her daughter into a strict training program and an even stricter diet. This irritates Gen, who has already begun to lose interest in skating and simply wants to be a normal teenager and student. While at first Gen is only hanging out with Casey as an excuse to go to a party or to see her boyfriend, the two girls actually become friends. The three skaters, Gen, Tiffany, and Nikki tell Casey that she is lucky to eat whatever she wants and do whatever she wants, all while skating as they are on strict trainings as well. Thanks to Physics, Casey is able to help the three skaters with some moves in their routine.
Casey eventually goes to regional performances (without her mom) and while she is not first for the sectionals Gen says that she hopes Casey will make it. Fearing that Casey will get Gen's spot the the next day, Tina buys Casey new skates which cause Casey to slip, fall, and injure her feet. Zoey Block, one of the other competitors tells Casey that you aren't supposed to compete in new skates until they've been broken into. Zoey then goes on to tell her that Tina was a former skater who was actually disqualified from a competition. After finding out the truth, Casey chews out Gen, Tina and Teddy for what happened, and eventually calls Joan to take her home. Casey's mom is furious at Tina for what she did to Casey. After returning home, Casey stops skating for a while and gets back to her schoolwork. Eventually Gen tries to apologize to Casey and insists that she did not know what her mom did, but Casey, who is still fuming at her just walks away. After hearing her mom tell her she missed practice, Gen gets annoyed and informs her mother and then Casey that she is quitting because she has spent so much time practicing she's fallen behind in her Math and wants to spend more time with her boyfriend. Gen tells Casey if she drops out of the competition she can go to the sectionals, Casey declines the offer as she has an interview at Harvard.
Tina becomes Casey's personal coach and helps her train for Sectionals, after Casey turns down a scholarship to Harvard to keep skating with help from Gen. She is also able to patch things up with Teddy who in turn smooths out the pond she is skating on with the Zamboni. Casey's mom is upset that Casey is working with Tina after everything and for turning down a once in a lifetime scholarship, Casey asks her mom to just come and watch her skate, but her mother leaves for her class leaving Casey hurt. At Sectionals, Casey performs well. Tina helps Casey by giving her important tips and Gen asks how things are going with her and her mom and up until today, they have scarcely said two words to each other. During one of her classes, Casey's mom goes to the competition to watch her daughter. In a triple salchow, Casey slips and falls, but then she sees her mother in the spectators, which boosts her confidence and she gives a highly rated artistic performance. By the end of Sectionals, Casey has come in second place, behind Nikki Fletcher, and is going to the nationals. Casey and her mom reconcile and promises her daughter she will support her, and Casey and Teddy begin a relationship. As they leave, Casey's mom and Tina discuss Casey's diet, one of her sponsors and her schoolwork.
Cast[]
- Michelle Trachtenberg as Casey Carlyle, main protagonist
- Amy Stewart as Ann
- Joan Cusack as Joan Carlyle
- Kim Cattrall as Tina Harwood
- Hayden Panettiere as Gennifer "Gen" Harwood
- Trevor Blumas as Teddy Harwood
- Kirsten Olson as Nikki Fletcher
- Jocelyn Lai as Tiffany Lai
- Connie Ray as Mrs. Fletcher
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Mr. Lai
- Juliana Cannarozzo as Zoe Bloch
- Kristina Whitcomb as Ms. Fisher Le
- Signe Ronka as Emma Flanders
- Michelle Kwan as the announcer
Trivia[]
- This movie came out the same day as the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
- Michelle Trachtenberg had never skated before. She learned professional skating for this movie in 10 months.
- This is one of the few Disney films to have the word 'Princess' in the title but no actual princess in the movie.