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 and physics geek, 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. She becomes exceptionally good at skating, even skipping two levels to get a Junior Pass.
Unsure of what she really wants, Casey has a difficult time juggling schoolwork, skating, and a job at a 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 Harwood (Kim Cattrall), a disgraced former skater, 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. Eventually Gen gets annoyed and informs her mother and then Casey that she is quitting after Tina bought Casey new skates which caused Casey to slip and fall, and injure her feet.
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. At Sectionals, Casey performs well. In a triple salchow, she 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 after two months, and Casey finally gains her mother's support.
Cast
- Michelle Trachtenberg as Casey Carlyle
- 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
Trivia
- This movie came out the same day as the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.