Ice Princess

Ice Princess arrives as a comedy directed by Tim Fywell, and its first strength is a clear sense of purpose. Michelle Trachtenberg and Kim Cattrall give Ice Princess a recognisable human centre before the larger mechanics take over. The central situation in Ice Princess comes into focus without a long explanation: With the help of her coach, her mom, and the boy who drives the Zamboni machine, nothing can stop Casey from realizing her dream to be a champion figure skater. Across its 1h 38m running time, Tim Fywell keeps Ice Princess engaging in bursts but unable to maintain the same control.

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Michelle Trachtenberg gives Ice Princess its most dependable performance, finding a clear emotional intention beneath the plot. Opposite Michelle Trachtenberg, Kim Cattrall brings Ice Princess a contrasting pace that prevents the central relationship from feeling flat. Trevor Blumas widens the ensemble of Ice Princess through reactions that suggest a life beyond the immediate scene. Tim Fywell serves the cast of Ice Princess best when a look or pause is allowed to finish before the story moves on.

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Tim Fywell shapes Ice Princess with an approach that feels engaging in bursts but unable to maintain the same control. The best directed passages in Ice Princess establish an objective, let the characters respond and then allow the pressure to change naturally. Worthwhile ideas compete with an uneven structure in Ice Princess, particularly when Tim Fywell resists the urge to underline an already clear emotion. My main reservation about Ice Princess is that the pace alternates between hurry and drift, a limitation that interrupts rather than defines the experience.

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The central idea running through Ice Princess concerns embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Michelle Trachtenberg gives that idea a human scale, allowing Ice Princess to remain accessible even when its world becomes larger. By returning to Casey, Ice Princess turns theme into a source of pressure rather than a message waiting to be delivered. The handling by Tim Fywell lets Ice Princess leave a little interpretive room, which gives its better scenes an afterlife.

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The craft of Ice Princess is defined by well judged reactions, supported by well judged reactions rather than overwhelmed by decoration. Walt Disney Pictures gives Ice Princess a production framework in which performer rhythm can remain connected to story. Made from a Canada production context, Ice Princess uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of Ice Princess works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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At story level, Ice Princess turns the and Zamboni into the source of its main tension. The role played by Michelle Trachtenberg becomes the viewer's route through Ice Princess, especially when Casey begins to alter the situation. Meg Cabot gives Ice Princess momentum by allowing choices to create consequences instead of treating each scene as isolated information. Even when the central character pushes the plot toward familiar ground, Ice Princess remains attentive to what that pressure means for its characters.

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Overall, Ice Princess amounts to a qualified recommendation and should suit comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. The combination of Michelle Trachtenberg, Tim Fywell and well judged reactions gives Ice Princess a specific identity. Although the pace alternates between hurry and drift in Ice Princess, the film recovers through craft and committed performance. For the audience it understands, Ice Princess offers enough character to remain worthwhile after the immediate plot has faded.