rewatched ice princess and sobbed for the entire second half of the movie like what were they cooking in 2005
I was supposed to write tonight but instead I guess a review and analysis of 2005 Disney classic ice princess is also fine
it is 3 am but I need to ramble about this unrealistic, cheesy, but so genuine movie so bear with me
does it make literally any sense for a practically fully grown teenager, even with the most raw, untapped talent, to make nationals after a year of training? no, absolutely not. like this is how I feel about every ballet movie: you can train as hard as you want and for as long as you want, but some things genuinely take time and can't be done as quickly as movies want them to (but it's fine, we're not opening that can of worms, I will always get emotional during her last performance and seeing how much she's accomplished)
is the overall concept of this movie a little silly because an extracurricular like figure skating would have opened even more scholarship doors for her? yes, yes it is. like I know the crux of this is pursuing this professionally vs as an extracurricular, but it's more insane that Harvard didn't offer her more because of her training, but I'm not Harvard so idk
do I care about any of these things and still love this movie? very much yes. I think this is one of my comfort movies (even if it makes me cry every time)
can we just talk about the characters and cast in this movie???
the entire cast feels fleshed out and real - yeah, the other skaters don't get that much to work with, but I think there's enough background dropped for them that you can put the pieces together yourself (Tiffany's parents taking out a second loan, Gen missing school, etc.) but Casey, Gen, and the moms are genuinely so good! maybe I'm biased because I saw this movie as a kid and definitely have nostalgia, but even watching it with other people and after years of not seeing it, I can't get over how three-dimensional everyone feels:
Casey is your standard sports drama protagonist, but Michelle Trachtenberg (rest in peace) plays her with such sincerity and emotion that she's so, so easy to root for and sympathize with. she nails all of the emotional moments and all of the highs and lows that Casey faces in this movie and it makes total sense why this was one of her most beloved roles.
Gen is refreshingly not your typical mean girl rival/antagonist and even becomes Casey's biggest cheerleader by the end, plus her struggles with her mom and relationship with skating in general is so relatable as someone who was also in a highly competitive field (and I'm sure the fandom yuri is Delightful - like their love interests/boyfriends are Fine and I did think Teddie was a cute endgame, but in 2026, it lowkey feel more like they're there because it's an early 2000s Disney movie). I also like that she finally stood up for herself to choose the path that she wanted to take for her life. ALSO I think it's fun that even when she's trying to psych out her fellow skaters, she doesn't do that to Casey because she knows that's mean, whereas she knows the others won't take it seriously. and she's kind to Casey and her friend, not for any gains, but just because she's a good person.
THE MOMS: yall Kim Cattrall and Joan Cusack put everything they had into these roles and I will never be over it!!!
Kim Cattrall!!! girl is so ruthless and blunt, but not without reason. it actually sends me that she never apologizes to Casey for highkey sabotaging her in sectionals - like no, she didn't put needles or glass in her shoes, but she fully took advantage of the new girl on the ice though a "generous" gesture. I do love the crumbs we get of her backstory of being a pro skater who ended up getting suspended - I do wonder if she's supposed to reference Tonya Harding, but in a more family friendly way, but it is 3 am and google is failing me :( regardless, I really love her relationship with Gen, not because it's perfect because my god that relationship is in shambles, but because you can see how it can evolve into something whole again: without the pressures of Gen trying to fulfill hers and her mom's dream and without Tina trying to live vicariously through her daughter, they both can try and start over. there's hurt there, but you can see during sectionals that they both still care about each other and are going to try to make it work.
Joan Cusack plays Casey's mom stubborn, bitter, angry, but still caring at the end of the day and she's clearly experienced her share of crushed dreams and regrets without saying that to the camera. she means so well for her daughter, but it's so easy to get lost in the sauce and lose sight of the person you made those plans for to begin with. maybe her scenes get me because Joan Cusack is a great actress or maybe I just have Family Trauma (probably both), but there's so much history between the two of them that you can feel with every word they say - so many of us have experienced that feeling of wanting to figure out who we are as people while still making our parents proud, but that balance is tricky, because our parents are also holding on to the child they've always known, not understanding that things have to change and that we might not turn out the way they expected. the most important thing is to love your kids at the end of the day and I love that that's how the movie ends (and surprising no one, I Also cried when Casey sees her mom in the stands - it's so cheesy and predictable, but damn if I don't immediately start tearing up when I see the look of astonishment and relief right before she starts skating with so much joy...)
also, the argument scene between Casey and her mom genuinely kills me every time: it's not just drama for the sake of it, but a daughter who finally wants something for herself for the first time ever, who's trying to figure herself out and spread her wings, and a mom who doesn't understand the person her daughter is becoming and the heartbreak of losing the dream she thought they once shared. it's two people who realize they want very different things and the betrayal, for lack of a better word, that comes with that. it's such a realistic thing for a kid and their parent to go through.
no, Casey doesn't owe her mom anything, but you also can understand why her mom feels betrayed in the scene, even when you're rooting for Casey. change is terrifying, especially when it's someone you thought you knew well, only to see them becoming everything you don't like (again, we don't learn much about her backstory, but we can infer that she has definitely didn't like the pretty popular girls during her own school time with the "some of us will always hate the prom queen" line.) plus, Casey understands the sacrifices and path her mom had laid out for her throughout her life and is just as hurt by how this all turns out. that's what makes the decision to skate all the more insane, that she had this pathway to success, this safe guarantee, and still chose the unknown.
ALSO:
"are you sure it doesn't just make you feel beautiful?"
"what's so wrong with that?"
and
"you're giving up your dream."
"no, mom. I'm giving up yours."
like okay cool just stab me in the heart and then tear it to pieces for good measure. 2005 disney really said "I'm gonna take your 'not like other girls' sentiment and say 'what's wrong with the other girls? what's wrong with wanting to be like them?'" and I love them for that.
and the dream conversation is SO classic, but it really does hit every time when you have good characters and actors putting their all into it!
main con is that I know the face tracking is not. great. I only noticed it on this last rewatch on how rough it was. but it Is 2005 so I'm not personally too upset about it. this feels like commenting on the silly noodle figures in yuri on ice as they're animating the skating - like I fully understand why it looks the way it does and why people comment on it, but I get way too caught up in the skating to care as much as I probably should.
another minor con is that I wish she wore the white costume on the cover in the movie :( like did the purple one just not look good for the cover? it's ICONIC and I don't want it to be replaced by the white one, but it would've been cool to see her Also wear the cover one.
anyway, it actually hurts me to see that this movie only has Okay critic reviews online, as if it didn't inspire literal thousands, if not millions, of kids to pursue STEM and/or figure skating :/ like wdym "oh it's predictable" okay and? just because something is predictable, doesn't mean it can't be entertaining and emotionally satisfying? It's what you DO with those predictable aspects that makes the difference! (though this isn't about Roger Ebert my GOAT who gave it 4 stars because of how good the performances are, like hell yeah bro, I knew you had taste)
my god this is so many thoughts about ice princess and it is now 4 am!!! I need to go to bed but everyone watch ice princess rn. everyone get emotional about chasing your dreams and trying to make your parents proud and figure skating!!!
