Barnes & Noble

This crowd-pleasing Disney concoction manages to satisfy despite its unambitious recipe: the straight-A high school student with a secret passion for skating; her mother, who is set on her daughter going to Harvard; the pretty, popular mean girl poised for skating stardom; the cold-as-ice coach (the mean girl's mom) who has no time for the "science geek." Ice Princess could have easily skated along as a typical sports fairy tale but, instead, it displays some surprising moves that would impress even the French judges. The appealing and likable Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Dawn) stars as Casey Carlyle, whose calling would appear to be physics. But she discovers her inner Michelle Kwan (who cameos as a TV commentator) when she embarks on a school project that applies physics formulas to skating. Her prowess does not escape the attention of coach Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall), or her daughter and prized pupil, Gen (Hayden Panettiere). As the determined Casey refines her talent, she is forced to decide about "what's really important" to her: skating or Harvard. While Ice Princess may be predictable, right down to the Zamboni-driving hunk who emerges as a chaste romantic interest for the blossoming Casey, the savvy script does allow for refreshingly complicated characters. The capable Casey, for instance, is not a klutz in the Lizzie McGuire mold. Ice Princess is rated G, as in Gold. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

A teenager is torn between her desire to please her mother and following her own ambitions in this family-friendly comedy drama. Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg) is a high-school student who has a keen mind for math and looks to be on the fast track to Harvard, which is just the way her mother (Joan Cusack) wants it. However, Casey also has a dream of becoming a competitive ice skater, which is not a popular notion with either Casey's mom or her school's clique of aspiring skaters, led by the egocentric Gen (Hayden Panettiere). However, one day at the rink Casey wins the attention of Tina (Kim Cattrall), a former skating champion who now trains her daughter and is trying to live down an incident that grounded her career on the ice. Tina thinks Casey has what it takes to be a champ, but neither Gen nor Casey's mother are happy with this news, leaving Casey and Tina to go it alone, though Casey soon wins the emotional support of Teddy (Trevor Blumas), Gen's handsome older brother. Ice Princess also features champion skater Michelle Kwan in a small role as herself, doing television commentary at a skating event. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 786936289114
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Language: English
• Time: 1:39:00
• Sales Rank: 14,150

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