High School Musical (2006)

High School Musical premiered on Disney Channel January 20th 2006, with 7.7 million US viewers tuning in for its maiden broadcast. Going on to win 14 awards across various categories, it remains the most commercially successful television film that the channel produced, spawning two sequels and a recent television series. It turned multiple actors into household names, such as Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgins, Corbin Bleu and Zac Efron, though for the first instalment Drew Seeley provided Troy’s singing voice.

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If there’s one film that makes me feel nostalgia for my childhood, it’s this one - it was my first foray into musical theatre, and nurtured a love for the arts that has always stayed with me. For many it is a cult classic, and I think what is so special about the franchise is that it made the genre accessible and cool for younger viewers and teenagers, no matter what clique you belonged to. It follows themes of identity and purpose, exploring how social settings like schools and the people around us, whether that be fellow pupils or our parents, can pressure us into assuming a certain role.

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It begins on New Years Eve, which makes it the perfect flick to watch between Christmas and the new year, as we’re introduced to Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton. Both are spending the holidays at a ski resort, as Troy shoots hoops with his Dad while Gabriella buries her head in a book at a party for people her age. Troy’s mother encourages him to attend the event, while Ms Montez scalds her daughter for not enjoying the festivities.

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Brought together by chance, the pair are chosen to partake in the nights karaoke, as they’re ushered onto the stage. Both are completely out of their comfort zone at first, but soon warm up to the idea of performing as they sing about creating a new beginning together. They catch up outside as fireworks illuminate the sky, the count down to midnight underway, and exchange phone numbers before parting.

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We next see Troy at East High School as the winter break is over, and meet his best friend Chad who’s eager to get back into basketball practice before the big game. Auditions are advertised for the winter musical, as drama teacher Ms Darbus welcomes the student body back to her class, and our protagonist is surprised when his duet partner walks into the room. Sure that it’s Gabriella, he rings the number she gave him, which leads to many phone confiscations and detentions as everyone checks their mobiles for the ringtone. Darbus is the perfect caricature of what many imagine educators of the arts to be like, but she’s also so lovable and brings lots of energy to the film.

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Catching up in the hallway, the pair express their disbelief, as Gabriella reveals she’s relocated with her Mom. They both discuss extra-curricular activities while noticing the audition sign up sheet on the wall, but Gabriella is vehement that she wont be considering any clubs while she’s still settling in. This is cemented by queen bee Sharpay Evans, who marks her territory after years of dominating the school theatrical department with her brother Ryan. She decides to research into the new girl, finding she was the brainiac at her last school - and anonymously sends this information to head of the Scholastic Decathlon club Taylor McKessie who is eager for Gabriella to join.

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Detention follows, as the unlucky students are put to work painting sets for the Twinkle Town musical, and Coach Bolton is furious to find his two best players are missing practice. When they are finally reunited with their team, we are given the song ‘Get’cha Head In The Game’ as Troy struggles to focus on his sport, distracted by a new interest in singing and the girl he discovered that with. I must admit as a kid I never fully appreciated the number because I was infatuated with the leading ladies, but the composition of the song using basketball noises to form a melody is genius, and the choreography is really great too.

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Knowing how people would react to the Wildcats captain getting up on the stage, Troy sneaks off to the auditions, managing to shrug off Chad who’s suspicious of his behaviour. A montage of hilarious performances commence, as many try and fail to snag the lead roles. Sharpay and Ryan step up to show everyone how it’s done, discarding pianist Kelsey’s arrangement for a more upbeat rendition. Gabriella arrives too, though like Troy isn’t brave enough to sign up.

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Ms Darbus calls for other duos to step forward, but wraps up the auditions when no one appears. Gabriella volunteers at the last moment, Troy offering to be her partner, but Darbus declares punctuality in the theatre is vital and leaves. When Kelsey drops her sheet music, Bolton and Montez run up to help her, as she offers to show them how ‘What I’ve Been Looking For’ should sound - and they accompany her on piano, unaware that the drama teacher is in earshot as she is convinced to give them a callback.

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Chaos erupts the next day, as Sharpay learns her grab at the starring role isn’t secured, and the school population find out their star player enjoys something other than the sport he’s known for. This leads to the song ‘Stick To The Status Quo’, which was always one of my favourites. It’s a very dynamic number with a big ensemble in the cafeteria, as other students reveal interests they’ve also been hiding in fear of persecution from the cliques they belong to. It demonstrates a brilliant analysis of how maintaining the way things are often means sacrificing parts of ourselves, prioritising image rather than true happiness.

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The song finishes with Sharpay walking down the stairs, vowing to restore the natural order of things. Completely freaked out by the attention she’s getting for the callbacks, Gabriella squeezes through the crowd and slips, accidentally throwing her lunch at Sharpay which doesn’t help matters. Troy and Gabriella begin rehearsing, going over the material with Kelsey and trying to avoid the Evans twins. The team captain begins to miss practice again, and Gabriella becomes distracted from her own extra-curricular responsibilities, as Chad and Taylor plan to tear them apart.

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Taylor confronts Gabriella alongside the rest of the Scholastic Decathlon members, as Chad sets up a webcam and gets Troy to admit his feelings for Gabriella mean nothing, his focus always being the Wildcats. The feed is streamed to his singing partner, who’s stung by his hurtful words, delivering her one solo of the film ‘When There Was Me and You’. It was always my favourite choice on HSM karaoke on the Wii, and I think it’s very underrated as it’s overshadowed by ‘Gotta Go My Own Way’ from the sequel.

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This backfires instead, as both are more distracted than ever and miserable through being apart. Taylor and Chad have to work together again, this time to repair the damage they’ve done and support their friends in pursuing their passions. Having healed the rift, they begin rehearsing again, but Sharpay has one final trick up her sleeve as she suggests to Darbus the callbacks happen at the same time as the basketball championship and the Scholastic Decathlon competition. Troy and Gabriella are deflated by this news, but committed to attending the audition and their respective events.

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As game day arrives, Troy leads his team, but Taylor shuts down the electrical circuit giving the captain time to get to the theatre. At the same time, Gabriella propels her club to victory, and then uses a chemical concoction to clear out the room and secure her exit. Meanwhile, Ryan and Sharpay have been performing their audition piece ‘Bop To The Top’, another energised and exaggerated number as the siblings believe they’ve got it in the bag. Our protagonists are late again when Darbus calls their names, and she’s ready to invalidate their entry, before the auditorium fills up with students ready to cheer them on.

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With Kelsey determined to provide their accompaniment, the audition goes forward, Gabriella at first tentative to sing infront of such a big audience. Troy builds her confidence and they soon light up the stage, as Coach Bolton and Ms Montez watch from the distance, proud of their kids. The movie closes with another big ensemble spectacular in the gym, singing about unity in ‘We’re All In This Together’. It’s revealed Troy and Gabriella did land the lead roles, as Sharpay lays down her arms and congratulates her fellow students. Baker Zeke offers Sharpay some cookies, though she rejects him as she has done many times; though a post-credits scene shows her jumping into his arms, having tried the baked treats, as he offers to make her a creme brûlée.

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I thrifted this copy last year alongside the second movie, and I’ve never seen these slim cases before. I think they’re great for saving space, especially if you’re someone that collects many DVDs. This Remix edition includes two discs - the Encore version with the original film and a sing-along option, and the Remix disc which has reworked renditions of ‘Breaking Free’ and ‘We’re All In This Together’ that would get any 2000s kids on the dance floor. There’s also trailers for the 2006 re-released Special Edition of The Little Mermaid, Brother Bear 2 and The Wild, alongside a short behind-the-scenes documentary and an opportunity to learn some of the dance routine for ‘Bop To The Top’.

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There’s music videos for ‘I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You’ which didn’t make the film, ‘We’re All In This Together’, the Spanish version of ‘What I’ve Been Looking For’ by Mexican pop band Belanova and the Italian version of ‘Breaking Free’ by Luca Dirisio. We’re offered a look at the Hollywood premiere, and given a ‘reunion’ short film as the cast visit Australia and London. And finally, a ‘dance along’ segment is provided, as Ashley, Zac, Vanessa and Lucas teach viewers moves from ‘Getcha Head In The Game’ and ‘We’re All In This Together’. It’s an amazing collectable for any fan of the film, and I’m really glad to own it now.

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It’s important to mention on the end of this post that whilst I feel lots of nostalgia for the Disney films I grew up with, I try to avoid actively supporting the company now and I urge others to do the same. Disney is a massive capitalist machine that has built an empire of wealth off their media and parks, and they have a history of oppressive attitudes in their films, alongside donating money to Israel and anti-LGBT politicians. This is where thrifting comes in, because it’s easy to pick up the movies and merchandise secondhand without giving a penny to them.