January 20, 2006
High School Musical is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the High School Musical film series, the film stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Alyson Reed, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman. In High School Musical, Troy Bolton (Efron), the basketball team captain, and Gabriella Montez (Hudgens), an academically gifted transfer student, try out for the lead parts in their school musical, causing division among the school's cliques.
Development for the film began after Disney network executives wanted to replicate the critical and viewership success of standalone musical episodes in their television series Even Stevens (2000–2003) and That's So Raven (2003–2007). Principal photography for High School Musicalprimarily took place in Utah, with filming locations including East High School, Murray High School, and Salt Lake City. Additional filming took place in Los Angeles. The film has been described by Barsocchini and numerous critics as a modern adaptation of Romeo & Juliet.
Upon its release on January 20, 2006, as part of Disney Channel's "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance Week" block, it became the most commercially successful DCOM ever produced. In the U.S., High School Musical generated 7.7 million viewers in its premiere broadcast, breaking the then-record for the highest premiere for the network. Internationally, the film also saw considerable success; as of 2019, over 225 million unique viewers were calculated as watched High School Musical. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its cast and music but criticism for its sentimentality; it was more positively received by audiences. The film's soundtrack was commercially and critically successful, reaching atop the U.S. Billboard 200, with its lead single, "Breaking Free", reaching number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Two sequels, High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year, were released in August 2007 and October 2008 respectively.
Storyline[]
On New Year's Eve, high school juniors Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are both vacationing at a ski lodge and meet when they are called up to sing a karaoke duet together ("Start of Something New"). Troy returns home to East High School, where he is captain of the basketball team which his father coaches. By coincidence, Gabriella has just transferred to East High, and as Troy shows Gabriella around the school, drama club president Sharpay Evans assumes that Gabriella is interested in auditioning for the school musical. The jealous Sharpay discovers Gabriella's past academic achievements, and anonymously informs scholastic decathlon captain Taylor McKessie so she will recruit Gabriella for the team.
During basketball practice, Troy is distracted by thoughts of Gabriella and the idea that he might enjoy singing ("Get'cha Head in the Game"). From the back of the room, Gabriella and Troy watch Sharpay and her twin brother Ryan audition with an uptempo version of "What I've Been Looking For". Troy and Gabriella step forward at the last minute, but drama teacher Ms. Darbus tells them they are too late. While helping Kelsi Nielsen, the musical's composer, pick up sheet music, they give an impromptu performance of the same song at its original ballad tempo. ("What I've Been Looking For" (reprise)) Overhearing their performance, Ms. Darbus gives them a callback audition.
When the callback list gets posted, Sharpay is furious that she has competition for the lead role, while the Wildcats basketball team is shocked that Troy has auditioned. After finding out that Troy can do activities outside his clique, other students confess their secret passions and talents ("Stick to the Status Quo"). This alarms Taylor and Troy's best friend Chad Danforth, who work together to trick Gabriella into believing Troy doesn't care about her. Upset by Troy's perceived betrayal and callous disregard for her ("When There Was Me and You"), Gabriella decides to not audition for the musical and distances herself from Troy. Realizing their mistake, Chad and Taylor admit their role in sabotaging Troy and Gabriella's relationship. Troy goes to Gabriella's house and they reconcile, determined to audition for the musical.
Overhearing Gabriella and Troy rehearse, Sharpay convinces Ms. Darbus to move the callbacks so they start at the same time as both Troy's championship game and Gabriella's scholastic decathlon competition. The basketball and decathlon teams work together to allow Troy and Gabriella to leave by hacking the power in the gym and causing a chemical reaction that forces an evacuation during the decathlon. Troy and Gabriella rush to the auditorium as Sharpay and Ryan finish their callback song ("Bop to the Top"). After Gabriella and Troy successfully perform their song "Breaking Free", Ms. Darbus gives them the lead roles, making Sharpay and Ryan understudies. Both teams win their respective competitions, Chad asks Taylor out, Sharpay makes a truce with Gabriella, and the entire school gathers in the gym to celebrate ("We're All in This Together").
In a post-credits scene, Sharpay admits to Zeke that a bag of cookies he had given her was "genius" and he says he will make her a crème brûlée.
Also See[]
- High School Musical 2 (2007)
- High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
- Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure (2011)
Sound Effects Used[]
- Hollywoodedge, Children Sml Grp Yell PE954901/Hollywoodedge, Small Group Kids Chee PE142801
- Hollywoodedge, Crowd Med Shock PE961301/Hollywoodedge, Crowd Reaction Shock PE142501
- Hollywoodedge, Giggling Two Childre PE131001/Hollywoodedge, Two Young Kids Giggle PE143501
- Hollywoodedge, Horns 4 Group Party Ne TE030402
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Crowd AdultsY PE142901
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140401
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140501
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE141401
- Hollywoodedge, Screams 1 Woman Singl PE133501
- Hollywoodedge, Screams 2 Woman Singl PE133601
- Hollywoodedge, Screams 3 Woman Singl PE133701
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, HORN - PARTY HORN, LONG TOOT
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, HORN - PARTY HORN, TWO TOOTS 01
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, HORN - PARTY HORN, WARBLY