The original High School Musical, starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Olesya Rulin was a made for TV film with seemingly unforseen potential. When High School Musical came to Disney Channel in 2006, this charming, family friendly movie reached so many lives that it led to an amusing sequel and finally to the big screen with the last of the High School Musicals. What made this trio of movies so suddenly popular?
The Highschool Musical Phenomenon - The Movies
A movie about brains, basketball, singing and dancing, the story of High School Musical follows Gabriella and Troy, thrown together in a clique-filled school, who choose to go against the status quo. When the rest of the school doesn’t know whether to follow or resist their lead, Troy and Gabriella teach them that it’s okay to do something differently than expected. They learn that it’s okay to make unexpected friends.
The Lessons
Through catchy song and dance and teens on the screen, High School Musical teaches kids values that they don’t realize they’re learning. Foremost, they learn that friends should encourage each other in doing what is good.
In High School Musical 2, the values learned in the first movie are shaken by ambition masked in song. But also delivered in song and dance is the lesson that although values can be shaken, they need not be removed. They learn to fight for what is right, not against it.
High School Musical 3 Senior Year gives a good view of growing up; offers an array of wonderfully performed singing and dancing; adds much-needed history to the characters that the audience has come to love; and brings an unexpected twist in the plot that keeps it interesting. As the Wildcats put on a musical of their own creation and look forward to prom and graduation, they learn that their decisions not only affect themselves, but others around them.
The Music
The story as a whole is a kind of coming of age story; it is about growing up. This theme coupled with well written music and dancing that are increasingly complex from film to film gives the movies a charm aids their popularity. Musicals are mainly about the singing and dancing. Without good music, a musical can suffer, but with good music, it does well whether the plot is believable or not. The music in each High School Musical is catchy, memorable and accompanied by well choreographed dances.
The High School Musicals are clean movies that can touch a widespread audience. They sneak in lessons while entertaining and their musicality is commendable. And it all started on Family Channel.
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