Must-See Ice Skating Movies

Bringing the Rink to Hollywood

Sonja Henie's famous ice skating movies made figure skating popular. Since then, many figure skating movies have appeared at the box office or on TV or streaming services that showcase the sport and the natural drama involved in high-stakes competition. Here are some you'll want to catch.

'Blades of Glory' (2007)

Blades Of Glory
DreamWorks Pictures/MTV Films/Red Hour/Smart Entertainment

The movie "Blades of Glory" is a parody about the world of competitive figure skating. It is about two single male figure skaters and rivals, Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder), who become pairs skating partners after they are banned from competing in single men's figure skating competitions for life. They are banned after they get in a horrible fight on the podium when they have to share World WinterSport Games gold medals after they tie. 

'Ice Dreams' (2010)

"Ice Dreams"

Hallmark Television

"Ice Dreams" is a Hallmark Channel original television movie that was released in January 2010. It ​is about a former champion skater and Olympic contender who returns to the ice to coach a talented teenage girl.

'Ice Princess' (2005)

"Ice Princess" Promotional Poster
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"Ice Princess" is a Disney movie about a teenage girl who is a physics genius. To win a scholarship to Harvard, she works on developing a special formula to make figure skating moves better. She learns how to skate in the process and becomes a figure skating champion. Famous figure skaters Michelle Kwan and Brian Boitano make special guest appearances in this movie.

'Ice Castles' (1978)

Ice Castles Promotional Poster
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The cast of "Ice Castles" includes Robby Benson, Colleen Dewhurst, and Tom Skerritt. Lynn-Holly Johnson, who was a beautiful and talented skater and actress in the 1970s, plays a young and talented teen from Iowa who is discovered by a top skating coach. She gets a chance to go to Colorado to be trained to become an Olympic champion. She gets injured and becomes blind shortly after becoming successful at skating but returns to compete and skate again.

'Ice Castles' (2010)

Ice Castles 2010
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"Ice Castles" is a remake of the 1978 Oscar-nominated movie of the same name. The story clearly shows that a person can recover after a tragedy.

'Champions: A Love Story' (1979)

Champions: A Love Story
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"Champions: A Love Story" was made for television in 1979. Jimmy McNicol, the brother of the child star Christy McNicol, plays a hockey player who becomes a figure skater. He is paired up with actress Joy Leduc, who plays a young single skater that must consider pairs because she is not making it in that branch of figure skating. The two become friends and fall in love as they train. Then, McNicol is killed in a plane crash, but Leduc somehow perseveres and skates again in singles. The movie ends on a happy note.

'Attack of the 5'2" Women' (1994)

Attack of the 5'2" Women
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"Attack of the 5'2" Women" is a National Lampoon movie that is a parody about the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan figure skating scandal. It is probably the funniest figure skating parody ever produced.

'The Cutting Edge' (1992)

The Cutting Edge
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"The Cutting Edge" begins during the 1988 Winter Olympics, where an ice hockey player has his professional career cut short after an accident. He is then recruited by a Russian figure skating coach to skate pairs with a very spoiled, rich figure skater. At first, they don't get along, but eventually, they become a good pair team. They make it to the 1992 Olympics and fall in love.

'The Cutting Edge 2: Going for the Gold' (2005)

The Cutting Edge - Going for the Gold (2005)
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This is the sequel to the 1991 hit "The Cutting Edge." Christy Carlson Romano stars as the daughter of the original movie's pair. She is a single skater and is injured. She is not able to do the many triple jumps required for singles, but she is able to do pair skating. She interviews many partners, and an in-line stunt skater is the best choice. At first, they don't like each other, but as time goes on they become an amazing pair skating team and fall in love.

'The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream' (2008)

The Cutting Edge 3 - Chasing the Dream
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This is the third "Cutting Edge" movie, and it was made for TV in 2008. This time around, the hockey player that becomes a pair skater is a girl. Christy Carlson Romano, who starred in "Cutting Edge 2," plays Jackie Dorsey, a former single and pair skater who is the coach that believes in the boy figure skater and the girl hockey player. She takes them to the top.

'The Ice Follies of 1939' (1939)

Ice Follies of 1939
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"The Ice Follies of 1939" is a typical old MGM Hollywood movie, but the film also includes figure skaters from the real Shipstads and Johnson Ice Follies. Those interested in ice skating show history will especially enjoy seeing the film. Viewers should know that James Stewart and Joan Crawford don't actually do any skating. The story is really about their romance.

'Snow White and the Three Stooges' (1961)

Snow White and the Three Stooges
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"Snow White and the Three Stooges" features Carol Heiss, the 1960 Olympic figure skating champion, making her movie debut as Snow White on figure skates. Instead of seven dwarfs, the three stooges come to Snow White's aid. Heiss skates fast and does jumps and spins in both directions. She performs a double axel and also sings.

'Sonja Henie: Queen of the Ice' (1995)

Sonja Henie: Queen Of The Ice DVD
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Sonja Henie is considered a figure skating legend. The ice skating documentary "Sonja Henie: Queen of the Ice" tells the story of her life and career. After winning the Olympics in 1936, Sonja Henie became a movie star. She was one of Hollywood's most popular stars, appearing in 10 films, some of which are available on DVD.

'Go Figure' (2005)

Go Figure Promotional Poster
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"Go Figure" is a cute Disney movie. A talented teenage figure skater dreams of being a champion and is discovered by a famous Russian skating coach. She does not have enough money to train with this coach, who is associated with a private boarding school, but she has the opportunity to get a hockey scholarship. She accepts the scholarship and plays hockey, learning about teamwork and making friends at the same time.

'A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story' (1995)

1994 Olympic Figure Skating Champion Oksana Baiul
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"A Promise Kept" is a biographical drama that tells the story of Oksana Baiul, who won the 1994 Winter Olympics. There is not much skating in the movie, but the story is moving and there is a performance by the real Oksana Baiul at the end.

'Blades of Courage' (1987)

Blades of Courage
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Canadian movie "Blades of Courage" was originally called "Skate." It is about a talented Canadian teen who does well in the Canadian national championship and gets to go to the World Figure Skating Championship. The Canadian Skating Federation gives her a chance to train with a top coach, but the coach is strict and ruins her. She returns home defeated but eventually gets back on the ice and competes and performs again.

'I, Tonya' (2017)

The R-rated story of Tonya Harding came to the screen in "I, Tonya" in 2017, tracing the figure skater's career beginning at age 4. The film won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, scoring a nomination for the leading actress category, too. Nancy Kerrigan, ever classy, declined to comment much about the movie. "I was the victim," she told CNN. "That's my role in this whole thing. That's it."

'Ice: The Movie' (2018)

Released on Amazon in March 2018 for streaming, "Ice: The Movie" follows the story of two figure skaters competing at high levels. Besides the conflicts involving the pressure to succeed in the high-stakes competition for the young women, the single father of one of them (Patrick O’Brien Demsey) battles his decision to allow her to compete. Rated PG-13.