High School Musical was produced as a Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM). Once the movie premiered on the Disney Channel, it was an instant favorite. Due to the success of the movie, two more sequels were produced over the next two years. The third and final movie, High School Musical 3, was released in theaters worldwide. This was the most successful DCOM movie ever created.
High School Musical was geared toward a young audience so parents did not have to worry about inappropriate behavior or language. This was a great movie for the family to enjoy together. It was highly entertaining with great songs and situations that were age appropriate for the movie. High School Musical has been rated one of the top family movies. The soundtrack for High School Musical was one of the best selling albums in 2006.
The phenomenal cast along with a great storyline is what made this movie so popular. The plot of the story has been called a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. Two rival cliques are set against each other as the as the star basketball player and the shy new transfer student come together to star in the spring musical. As their friends and the school drama queen, Sharpay Evans, try to sabotage their chances for the musical, Troy and Gabriella inspire others to be who they truly are. In the end, Troy and Gabriella overcome all adversities and play the lead roles in the spring musical.
Cast members included:
- Zac Efron as Troy Bolton
- Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez
- Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans
- Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans
- Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie
- Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth
This was Zac Efron’s first major role that has lead to other major roles in several recent movies. Ashley Tisdale, who also starred in The Suite Life on Disney Channel, also starred in a recent DCOM called Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure. This turned into a success among tweens as well.
The director Kenny Ortega is a well known director and choreographer. Ortega has directed other Disney DCOM movies such as The Cheetah Girls 2. He is also known for several other hit movies such as Dirty Dancing in 1987, and Michael Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour in 1992-1993. He was also the director and choreographer for Michael Jackson’s This Is It.
High School Musical was actually filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two different high schools were actually used in the filming of this movie. East High School and Murray High School are both located in the Salt Lake City area. East High School was also used in the following two sequels.
High School Musical is a great family movie that is not only entertaining for the children, but the parents will enjoy it as well. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens really work well together in this movie. With a good moral to the story about being true to yourself and not letting your peers determine who you are, this is definitely a must see. Don’t stop at High School Musical; why not see the whole trilogy?