Casey, a teenage student with a knack for science, has a teacher who encourages her to complete a "personal" physics project for a chance at a scholarship. As she watches footage of Sasha Cohen skating on TV, she decides there must be a scientific formula for figure skating jumps and spins.
After heading to the local rink to observe some girls from her high school practice, Casey finds there's a lot more to the world of competitive figure skating than she bargained for. Over-ambitious parents, backstabbing rivals, and a demanding practice schedule leave dedicated athletes no time for friends, boyfriends, or even homework. Nevertheless, as Casey's physics project progresses, she can't help but want to try out what she's learning for herself.
Seeing Casey tower over the other novice students in her class (most of whom are 6-8 years old) sets up some of the best figure skating humor in the Ice Princess movie. She's introduced to the joy of wearing huge foam blocks on her backside for practicing jumps (the perfect opportunity for teen embarrassment), and thanks to her knowledge of physics, learns the new skills extraordinarily quickly.
Casey's mother (Joan Cusack), a lecturer with a strong feminist streak and her heart set on her daughter attending Harvard, approves of the science scholarship, but says she would "probably cry" if she ever saw Casey in a figure skating costume. In one of the most delightful scenes of the movie, Casey decides to join her class for a recital which qualifies her to compete... and includes flowery costumes galore. This inevitably sets up a conflict between Casey's dreams and her mother's.
Casey also develops an unexpected, and often uneven, relationship with one of the top junior skaters and most popular girls in school (Hayden Panettiere) and her mother (Kim Cattrall), a coach with questionable tactics.
Unfortunately, rather than finding a life that includes a balance of academics, socializing, and enjoyable activities, Casey goes from one unbalanced life to another. Both her mother and her coach seem to miss the point that it's possible to do something you enjoy just for fun, without making it a career.
Families who see this movie may want to discuss the choices Casey made. What does it mean to work with people you know you can't trust? What does it mean to follow your own dreams, and at what cost?
While comparisons to The Princess Diaries are inevitable, Ice Princess, released on DVD by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on July 19, 2005, tells a different story, one of hard work and hard choices.
Michelle Kwan and Brian Boitano appear as commentators for the final figure skating event, and Casey's love interest even arrives on a zamboni. (That's an ice-smoothing machine for those who aren't figure skating fans.) Michelle Trachtenberg (best known for her role in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) make a great Casey, and obviously spent countless hours training for the part. The skating scenes include great attention to detail, and the transitions between actors and stunt-doubles are seamless.
Still, the Ice Princess has enough figure skating, and G-rated family fun, in its 99 minute running time to make it well worth watching.
