Originally rolled out to take up a couple of
hours on a slow January night,
High School Musical (HSM) is a
made for TV movie that would have made the
Disney folks
happy with a bunt single. Instead, they
hit a
grand slam due to the
ensemble cast, catchy songs and
Busby Berkeley dance routines.
Disney rushed to
market the major
cast members and has turned the Disney Channel and
Radio Disney into a 24/7
marketing arm for
the show and its offshoots.
Though the other
stars run the risk of being overexposed, the biggest
star of all,
Zac Efron, is a reluctant heartthrob who
seems to be genuinely conficted and confused about his newfound
fame. That, or he's waiting for the
time when his co-stars'
careers fizzle and he can
emerge triumphant.
Efron took it as an affront when producers insisted that his
voice not be included in the first movie or on its
soundtrack (
Canadian Andrew Seeley served as his recorded stand in), though he did sing on the second installment,
High School Musical 2 (HSM2), which replicated the formula with the same
cast and a similar plot.
HSM2 was an
event: the 17.2 million households that tuned in does not even attempt to tally the
total audience, including all those tweenage girls who attended viewing parties.
Disney is readying
High School Musical 3 (HSM3) for a 2008 theatrical release, though they reportedly
hit a snag when they offended Efron and co-
star Vanessa Hudgens by "only" offering $1 million each.
The
High School Musical (HSM) franchise is a
pop culture phenomenon, the kind that rarely comes
along after the advent of cable TV and
niche media outlets. They're not as
big as the Beatles, but for those between the ages of 5 and 14, it's the closest they're going to get.
; "high school musical")
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