On Saturday, Sept. 10, at Disney’s D23 Expo, it was revealed that members of the original cast of the High School Musical trilogy will make an appearance in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 4, where the students will be filming a fake High School Musical 4. With one of the greatest Disney Channel cast returning, let us look back on the trilogy that started it all, but more specifically the best movie in the franchise.Â
High School Musical 2 aired on the Disney Channel in 2007, one year after the original. Upon its release, it was just another Disney Channel sequel that kids would watch once and then forget about. However, unlike many of those Disney Channel original movies, High School Musical 2 has stood the test of time. The franchise got so popular that they created a Sharpay spinoff movie and a Disney+ sequel show to continue to give fans content.Â
So how did the High School Musical franchise get so much attention over the other Disney Channel original movies? Well, that’s simple, because of Disney’s misunderstood masterpiece.
High School Musical 2 follows the students of East High, the Wildcats, as they search for Summer jobs. Sharpay Evans, the trilogy’s main antagonist, gets Troy Bolton, the series’ main protagonist, a job at her family’s country club, Lava Springs. Sharpay’s plan is to use her family’s money and connections to set up Troy with not only a great Summer, but also a great future. As endearing as it may sound, Sharpay is only doing this to steal Troy away from his girlfriend Gabriella. The movie follows the group through their Summer jobs and how Sharpay’s actions will test the characters’ friendship.
Though the plot seems simple and very Disney channel-like, High School Musical 2 does a great job of embracing the wacky nature of many of these movies while also setting a good tone when needed. Emotional moments are not ruined by a side character cracking a terribly-timed joke. High School Musical 2 also carries with it strong themes. With one of those themes is one’s inner struggle.
The entire movie has Troy struggling to choose between his present and future. Throughout the movie, we see Troy slowly lose himself and become something he is not, self-entitled. Troy has a problem throughout the series, where he desperately wants to fit in and be loved. In the first movie, we see Troy struggle with singing, because that’s not what his friends and his father want for him. But in the sequel, Troy causes the conflict for himself.Â
Troy stresses about his future and tries everything he can to ensure his success because he believes that’s what the people he cares about want from him. In reality, Troy is ruining the relationships that he cares about, by becoming distant from his friends and Gabriella. Troy lets the idea of having a good future get in the way of his already good present. It’s not until Gabriella opens up to Troy about his change, with one of the best songs in the series Gotta Go My Own Way, that Troy realizes he’s become someone he doesn’t recognize.
Where a lot of Disney channel movies would have the protagonist redeem themselves to their love interest or friends through an apology of some sort, High School Musical 2 takes it the extra step. Troy first doesn’t need to apologize to his friends and Gabriella, but he needs to apologize to himself. Troy must first listen to himself and what he wants. High School Musical 2 does this in the perfect way with Troy’s solo in the movie, “Bet On It”.
Even with just the first lyrics in the song, “Everybody’s always talkin’ at me. Everybody’s tryin’ to get in my head. I wanna listen to my own heart talkin’. I need to count on myself instead,” you can see Troy come to realize he needs to live for what he believes in, not what he believes others want. Bet On It is an incredible representation of Troy’s growth in the movie and is one of if not the best songs that has ever been in a Disney Channel movie.
Although Troy’s characterization throughout the movie is done so well, he can not carry the film himself. The film also does a great job of allowing its side characters to shine. Chad and Ryan are excellent examples of this. The two help each other fully embrace who they are.Â
Up to this point, Ryan has been very distant from the rest of the East High Wildcats and Chad has been very adamant about sticking to sports and not dancing. The two have an incredible duet, titled I Don’t Dance, which is mainly to get Chad to express himself through dance. However, The song also brings Ryan closer to the rest of the Wildcats. While on the surface the song seems just like a fun way to get Chad to dance with everyone else, its main purpose is to allow Chad to open up emotionally, which we really haven’t seen him do. This plays well into Chad’s climax of the film, where he and Troy are able to rekindle their friendship through an emotional exchange.
High School Musical 2 has a great story, with great characters, and an amazing theme, but it wouldn’t be High School Musical without its incredible music. Bet On It, I Don’t Dance, and Gotta Go My Own Way are just a few examples of masterfully picked songs on the film’s discovery. What Time Is It? is a great introduction song to get the audience excited for the Summer of our characters. Fabulous is a great Sharpay song that allows us to get to know the character and her intentions, while also having a great time with the joyfulness of the one. Every day is a musical masterpiece to conclude the conflicts of all our characters and show that even through the hard times people will be there for you.
At its core, High School Musical 2 is a fun kid’s movie, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gain something of value from it and have a good time watching. It’ll always be goofy, tacky and sometimes childish, but that’s why it’s great. It’s a great movie to pop on and sing some songs, dance, and laugh.
If you have not watched High School Musical 2, you should check it out. And if you’ve already seen it, relive one of the greatest Disney movies to ever come out. Either way, you’ll have a great time, and you can bet on it.
