Ice Princess
 Terry Bartley  rates it:    Community rates it: (no ratings yet)
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Chillin' With Michelle Trachtenberg

When you guys saw the trailer to “Ice Princess” you probably thought, “What a surprise, another coming of age movie coming from Disney.” However, when I saw this trailer I thought, “So Disney finally nabbed the only young Hollywood up-in-comer that hasn't been involved in a Disney project, Michelle Trachtenberg.” I'm guessing this one concept did not cross many people's minds, but as a hardcore Buffy fanboy, I was really looking forward to seeing if little Dawn could hold her own against all those other girls who have headlined Disney movie after Disney movie. Lucky for me, she exceeded my expectations.

The story for this movie is that of any other movie directed towards a younger audience. Girl has dream, girl quickly discovers she has another dream, hardship, hardship, hardship, (this girl really does have a pretty hard time) then finally the conclusion. Along the way girl does meet boy and kindles a romance, but unlike so many other movies of this kind, the romance really takes a back-seat in the overall plot. This movie does have a very solid story and you never really find yourself asking, “How did that happen?” or “Why would she do that?” This movie also has the unlikely main character of the a science geek, I do realize that it is getting popular to have unpopulars as main characters, but this movie does it so well. I love the plot really for its simplicity. It doesn't make you jerk your head around wondering where the story is going, but yet it still manages to surprise you.

As far as the cast goes, you have your two celebrity main characters and a bunch of unknowns, as in regular Disney fashion. As I've previously stated, Michelle Trachtenberg is the star. She is one of those girls you really pull for. I always find myself loving her characters, whether she's the only girl in a group of guys on a road trip through Europe, the Key that unlocks the door to a dimension full of evil, or just a girl who wants to skate. Someday, I want to see her be a villain, but until then I'm completely happy rooting for her. She is also an amazing actress, I love Hilary and the other Disney stars, but they have nothing on Michelle. You can really feel her emotion, no matter what it is, and she really brings that to this movie. The other big celebrity in this movie is Joan Cusack. Joan plays Trachtenberg's feminist mother who knows exactly what she wants for her daughter, even if she may not want it for herself. These two are an amazing duo, they really feel like they're mother and daughter. They even look alike, if you saw these two walking down the sidewalk together, you'd think they were related, in a maternal kind of way. I could go on and on about Joan Cusack's acting, but I can't say anything you don't already know, she is incredible. Joan Cusack comes from a good family and I would expect nothing less then what she gave me in this movie. As for the rest of the cast, Disney did a pretty good job. The unknowns were actually unknowns and not plants from Disney shows and they were really good at their parts. This is one movie I can say I'm proud of Disney's casting.

Overall, this was a really good movie. The story was creative for a movie of this kind and every actor was perfect for the part they played. Michelle Trachtenberg has finally made her mark on Disney and it the best mark I've seen yet. “Ice Princess” is by far above average, but it didn't really go above and beyond either. I'm going to have to give “Ice Princess” 4 out of 5 cans.

Added:  Thursday, May 19, 2005

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