‘Ice Princess’ Is A Treasure Of 2000s Girlhood

Once upon a time, a teen figure skater gathered all her courage to twirl, leap and arabesque across the ice. She was a vision in blue, and we will always remember her that way.

In Disney’s “Ice Princess,” Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg) excels in academics and is working toward a spot at Harvard, but her formulas and equations gradually yield a different dream. Casey’s teacher encourages her to apply for a scholarship and submit a research project with a personal angle. She has a lightbulb moment when watching figure skating on TV with her friend, Ann (Amy Stewart).

“You know, I bet there is an exact aerodynamic formula,” Casey says. She analyzes movements of local competitive figure skaters and applies physics principles to help the skaters improve. Casey’s pastime of skating transforms into her greatest passion.

Tragically, Trachtenberg died in February, at the age of 39. The cause of death is undetermined, according to Variety.

Trachtenberg touched viewers’ lives with her work in “Ice Princess.” Yahoo! Entertainment interviewed figure skaters Ryan Dunk and Thita Lamsam about how the actor inspired them. Dunk and Lamsam each posted a heartfelt tribute skating to Aly & AJ’s “No One,” from the very first scene where Casey skates on the pond by her house.

While promoting the feature film, Trachtenberg was asked what she wanted viewers to glean from “Ice Princess.”

“Well, I’d like every little girl in the audience to sort of see the movie and feel empowered, just feel strong,” she answered. “You may not necessarily want to be an ice skater, but maybe you want to be a teacher or a doctor or a lawyer or something. I want them to say, ‘I can do that! Casey did it, and she was scared, but I’ll put my mind to it and I’ll succeed.’”

I hope Trachtenberg knew how important her work in “Ice Princess” was to fans who experienced the film, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this March. Young millennials and their Gen Z siblings grew up in a wave of BeDazzled outfits and big dreams. The 2000s girl-power era was imperfect and incomplete, dovetailing with a tabloid culture that showed celebrities in the worst possible light and a diet culture that damaged countless young women. Yet tween girl cinema and the pop songs connected to it undeniably boosted the confidence of some who took in the spectacle.

Disney Channel promoted “Ice Princess” with music videos and with segments on the “Movie Surfers” series — wherein teen interviewers visited the film set to chat with cast members. Michelle Kwan actually went to the Surfers’ set. The Olympic medalist, seen in the film co-commentating with Brian Boitano, skated for a bit with Trachtenberg behind the scenes. Kwan was “really surprised” that the actor was a first-time skater.

“I was like, ’Hm, maybe she should have started when she was, like, 5. Maybe she would be competing against me,” Kwan said.

Trachtenberg’s co-stars include Joan Cusack as Casey’s mom, and Kim Cattrall and Hayden Panettiere as mother-daughter coach-and-skater duo Tina and Gen Harwood. Gen’s brother Teddy (Trevor Blumas) helps Tina out around the rink and becomes Casey’s love interest.

Casey takes lessons, completes a novice recital and verbalizes an interest in competing. Tina immediately stops her. The coach outlines the demands of figure skating and emphasizes that it’s “not something you do on a whim.”

Trachtenberg said in an interview that she spent eight months training for the film and got some bruises along the way. There were four skating doubles for the actor.

“Miss Trachtenberg indeed demonstrated considerable natural skating ability during filming, and her talents provided the foundation for our studio’s effects work,” which included face replacement technology, Dennis Berardi, a visual effects supervisor, explained to Roger Ebert.

We get a taste of Trachtenberg’s hard work in Casey’s storyline when the character devotes more time to her own skating. A peppy Emma Roberts song grounds a montage in which Casey sharpens her athleticism with ballet and weightlifting, works at the rink’s concessions stand to pay for her skating expenses, and falls asleep in class trying to juggle everything.

“If I had it my way, I would change the world, just one girl,” Roberts sings in “If I Had It My Way.”

Other music from the soundtrack mirrors Casey’s journey of discovering and chasing her dream. Aly and AJ sing about “moving through the crowd, trying to find yourself.” Superchick’s “Get Up” is spot-on with the lyrics, “I’m not afraid to fall/ It means I climbed up high/ To fall is not to fail/ You fail when you don’t try.” Two different songs from the soundtrack are about reaching — for a dream, for heaven.

The rapid timing of Casey’s figure skating ascent in this film is less than realistic. Even so, there’s something to be said for knowing what you want to achieve in life and pouring as much time and energy into it as you are able to give.

Casey’s mother discovers her daughter’s secret skating life. Joan, a professor of literature, scorns the trappings of figure skating and wants an academic route for Casey. She regrets not going to college sooner so that she could have provided a better life for her daughter.

Tina Harwood sabotages Casey’s performance at regionals by buying her new skates (these take time to break in, unbeknownst to Casey). Casey is furious and blames the entire Harwood family for blisters and betrayal.

After a bitter face-off between Joan and Tina, Casey attends her Harvard interview but forfeits a shot at admission. One of the most memorable, totally Disney lines of the film is Casey telling her upset mother, “No, Mom, I’m giving up your dream. I’m going after mine.”

Teddy Harwood drives his Zamboni all the way to Casey’s pond to smooth over the ice — and their relationship. Casey marvels at how open she is with Teddy when she’s gliding across the ice. “You let people see you when you skate,” he tells her. “But Casey, you can’t win going it alone. You’re going to need some help.” Casey convinces Tina to officially become her coach, much to Joan’s dismay.

At sectionals, Casey desperately wants her mom to see her on the ice, doing what she loves. “It’s not about her. This is about you,” says Tina, who places a tiara on Casey’s head. “Skate with your heart,” she adds.

After falling hard from a triple Salchow, Casey picks herself back up and continues her final routine. She spins around and notices her mother in the crowd; Joan has tears in her eyes.

Now that Trachtenberg has died, it’s emotional to revisit the spring in Casey’s step, her flawless triple loop jump, the joy on her face at her mom’s choice to support her, the music to match Casey’s exuberance.

“So this is how it feels reachin’ for Heaven/ This is how it feels kissin’ the sky,” Diana DeGarmo sings. The end credits roll to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten,” leaving us to stare “at the blank page” and fill in our own stories.

I remember Trachtenberg in the movies “Harriet the Spy” and “17 Again,” and I finally saw her as the devious Georgina Sparks in “Gossip Girl” when I belatedly watched the series in adulthood. But I’m especially glad that I was among those girls seeing “Ice Princess” in the theater and singing along to the soundtrack 20 years ago. Trachtenberg showed us the beauty, grace and strength of her character. I will always be grateful to her for that.