Such is the case for Disney'’s latest release, “"Ice Princess."” The story is simple enough but it is hardly the average Disney flick. As it turns out in this case, though, that is a good thing that only makes it more successful.
Michelle Trachtenberg plays high school student Casey Carlyle. Casey is a brainy girl with her sights set on Harvard. Casey'’s mother, played by Joan Cusak, pushes her to keep up the good work in school. Upon looking into topics for a physics scholarship candidacy Casey stumbles onto the sport of ice skating. Casey decides to apply the science of physics to ice skating techniques and soon discovers that she is a natural at the sport.
To her mother'’s dismay, Casey begins training under former champion ice skater Tina Harwood, played by Kim Cattrall. Casey’'s ice skating improves and it is clear that she is fantastic. In true Disney fashion, we know what is going to happen for the rest of the film - expect we are wrong. I will not reveal the film’s secret for the simple fact that I want you to experience this unique Disney movie yourself. I will say that it is rare to meet realistic, mean-spirited people in Disney flicks.
The movie deals with several relationship issues. The mother-daughter relationship shines as Casey is torn between pleasing her mother and pleasing her own heart. There is also the love story between Tina’s son and Casey as well as the friendship story between Tina’s daughter, played by Hayden Panettiere, and Casey.
One element that stood out for me was the use of the hand held camera to build tension in scenes dealing with confrontations between any two given characters. Disney’'s family films are not known for their artistically edgy camera techniques.
The actors are all very convincing in their roles. Cattrall’'s role is anything but a stretch for her, but she fits right into it. Cusak, as always, is a pleasure and is the scene stealer. Trachtenberg does a great job in her role as well. Even the other actors that have supporting roles in the film like “"The Jumping Shrimp"” are very interesting. By the way, many of the actors in supporting roles are in fact up-and-coming champion ice skaters.
The ice skating is fascinating but the heart of the story is the star. You are guaranteed to feel emotion for these characters. I also enjoyed the soundtrack for the film. It includes great songs by artists such as Diana DeGarmo and Michelle Branch.
“"Ice Princess"” surrounds girly issues on the outside, but the messages speak to people of both genders and all ages. It takes on a lot of serious issues and, much to my surprise, it shows that there are a lot of evil people out there. But as with all Disney'’s family flicks, there is a happy ending that everyone will be satisfied with.
I highly recommend "“Ice Princess"” for the whole family. It is simple yet unpredictable and for that reason it is very entertaining.
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