High School Musical 2

High School Musical 2
Promotional poster
Written by	Peter Barsocchini
Directed by	Kenny Ortega
Starring	Zac Efron Vanessa Hudgens Ashley Tisdale Lucas Grabeel Corbin Bleu Monique Coleman
Composer	David Lawrence
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Bill Borden Kenny Ortega
Cinematography	Daniel Aranyó
Editor	Seth Flaum
Running time	104 minutes
Production companies	Salty Pictures First Street Films
Budget	$7 million
Original release
Network	Disney Channel
Release	August 17, 2007 (2007-08-17)
Related
High School Musical High School Musical 3: Senior Year

High School Musical 2 is a 2007 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 70th Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), it is the sequel to High School Musical (2006) and the second installment of the High School Musical film series. The film stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman. In High School Musical 2, Troy Bolton (Efron), Gabriella Montez (Hudgens), and the Wildcats find summer jobs at a country club, but tensions rise when Sharpay Evans (Tisdale) recruits Bolton for a talent show performance.

High School Musical 2 retained Utah as a central filming location with a return to East High School, while Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club was used as filming location for the Evans' country club. Additional scenes were filmed in Los Angeles.

Upon the film's release on August 17, 2007, it broke a plethora of viewership records as it became the most commercially successful Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) ever produced. ^[1] In the U.S., High School Musical 2 generated 17 million viewers in its premiere broadcast, smashing the record of its predecessor by over 10 million, while the figure remains the highest the network has ever produced. ^[2] It also ranked as the highest-rated basic cable telecast at the time. ^{[3] [4] [5]} The film's soundtrack enjoyed widespread success; it was certified double platinum in its first week as it debuted at number one in the United States, with its lead single "What Time Is It?" reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The film and soundtrack received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, with many considering it an improvement over its predecessor. The final installment of the film series, High School Musical 3: Senior Year , was theatrically released in October 2008.

Plot

The school year ends with everyone at East High looking forward to summer vacation ("What Time Is It?"). Troy Bolton is still dating Gabriella Montez, who decides to stay in Albuquerque with her mother. Troy eventually decides to look for a summer job to gain money for college.

Sharpay and Ryan Evans plan to spend the summer at their family's country club, Lava Springs ("Fabulous"), but Sharpay's summer plans also include pursuing Troy, whom she has arranged for to be hired at the club. However, Troy convinces the club's manager Thomas Fulton into hiring Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, and the entire Wildcats basketball team. Sharpay is enraged upon learning that Gabriella is working as one of the lifeguards but is unable to get her fired, so she orders Fulton to give them difficult tasks so they would want to quit. Fulton attempts to intimidate the group but Troy rebuilds their confidence and convinces them that they can persevere ("Work This Out").

Troy continues to worry about funding for college. Sharpay senses his need and arranges for Troy to be hired as a caddy and to play with the University of Albuquerque's basketball team, hoping that this will convince him to sing with her at the talent show. Meanwhile, Kelsi writes a song for Troy and Gabriella and they agree to sing with their friends in the show ("You Are the Music in Me"), not knowing that Sharpay is vying for his attention and does not want the Wildcats to participate in the show. In the extended version, Sharpay and Ryan trap Troy as he prepares for a date with Gabriella by rehearsing their song ("Humuhumunukunukuapua'a"), much to Troy's annoyance.

Ryan realizes he does not mean much to Sharpay anymore, as she is ready to blow her brother aside for the opportunity to perform with Troy. This leads to tensions between the siblings, and Ryan angrily informs Sharpay that he will no longer obey her orders. Taylor and Gabriella invite Ryan to a staff baseball game, where he persuades the Wildcats to take part in the talent show ("I Don't Dance").

Troy and Gabriella's relationship is strained when Troy sees Ryan with Gabriella, sparking jealousy. Chad expresses disappointment at Troy for abandoning his friends after being promoted by Sharpay; this also created animosity between Troy and the Wildcats. Owing to a "promise" from Troy, Sharpay rehearse another song for the talent show with him ("You Are the Music in Me (Sharpay Version)").

When Sharpay discovers that Ryan and the Wildcats are putting together their own performance in the show, she orders Fulton to ban all junior staff members from performing. Gabriella confronts Sharpay about her interference and quits from Lava Springs. Troy overhears their conversation and tries to persuade Gabriella to change her mind. Gabriella expresses her loss of trust with Troy ("Gotta Go My Own Way"), leaves Lava Springs, and returns her necklace, which he had given to her on the last day of school. At home, Troy explains to his father about the situation, and begins to regret his actions.

Troy returns to work the next day to find that his friends still refuse to talk to him, while Kelsi silently shows Troy the notice from Fulton, causing Troy to question his own motivations ("Bet on It") and learns that Sharpay has been manipulating him. Troy informs Sharpay that he will not sing with her, and reconciles with the Wildcats. They convince him to perform, which he does only under the condition that they are all allowed to perform as well.

At Sharpay's supposed instruction, Ryan gives Troy a new song to learn moments before the show. As Troy goes onstage, he asks Sharpay why she switched the song, and Sharpay is shocked to find that her brother tricked her. Troy performs the song ("Everyday") and reunites with Gabriella as the Wildcats joins them onstage, while Sharpay presents Ryan with the award for the talent show. After the talent show, the Wildcats go to the golf course to enjoy the fireworks ("You Are the Music In Me (Reprise)") and everyone in Lava Springs celebrates the end of summer with a pool party the next day ("All for One").

Cast

Main article: List of High School Musical characters

• Zac Efron as Troy Bolton. For this movie, Efron did all of his own singing, whereas, in the first High School Musical, his singing was blended with singer Drew Seeley's voice. ^[6]
• Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez
• Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans
• Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans
• Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth
• Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie
• Mark L. Taylor as Thomas Fulton, the manager of Lava Springs Country Club
• Bart Johnson as Coach Jack Bolton, Troy's father
• Robert Curtis Brown as Vance Evans, Sharpay and Ryan's father
• Jessica Tuck as Darby Evans, Sharpay and Ryan's mother

Additionally, Alyson Reed reprises her role from the first film as Ms. Darbus, as do Chris Warren Jr., Ryne Sanborn, Olesya Rulin, and Kaycee Stroh as students Zeke Baylor, Jason Cross, Kelsi Nielsen, and Martha Cox, respectively.

The Sharpettes, Jackie, Lea and Emma, are played by Tanya Chisholm, Kelli Baker and McCall Clark, respectively. Leslie Wing Pomeroy reprises her role as Troy's mother Lucille. Director Kenny Ortega's dog Manly "Little Pickles" Ortega plays Sharpay's Yorkshire Terrier Boi, and Miley Cyrus makes a cameo appearance as a pool party attendee at the end of the film.

Release

The premiere of High School Musical 2 aired at 8 PM Eastern Time on August 17, 2007, and included a telecast hosted by Kenny Ortega and the movie's cast. On Saturday, August 18, Disney Channel aired "High School Musical 2: Wildcat Chat", in which the stars of the movie answered questions posed by fans. On August 19, Disney aired a sing-along version of the movie. ^[7] On May 23, DirecTV announced that they would be hosting an exclusive high-definition airing of the movie a few days after the August 17 premiere on its network-only channel, The 101. ^[8]

Disney Channel aired a weekly program called Road to High School Musical 2, beginning on June 8, 2007, and leading up to the premiere of High School Musical 2 in August. The show offered viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the production of the movie. The world premiere of the opening number "What Time Is It" was on Radio Disney May 25, 2007, ^[9] and similarly "You Are The Music In Me" premiered on July 13, 2007. ^[10]

On December 11, 2007, the movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray titled High School Musical 2: Extended Edition. On September 15, 2008, a 2-disc special edition of the movie was released titled High School Musical 2: Deluxe Dance Edition.

Songs

See also: High School Musical 2 (soundtrack)

Song	Primarily sung by	Also sung by	Setting
"What Time Is It?"	Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Taylor	Wildcats	East High
"Fabulous"	Sharpay	Ryan & Sharpettes	Lava Springs pool
"Work This Out"	Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Zeke, Martha, Jason	Wildcats and kitchen workers	Lava Springs kitchen
"You Are the Music in Me"	Troy and Gabriella	Kelsi and Wildcats	Lava Springs dining room
"Humuhumunukunukuapua'a"	Sharpay and Ryan	Sharpettes	Lava Springs backstage room
"I Don't Dance"	Chad and Ryan	Baseball players, Wildcats, and company	Lava Springs baseball field
"You Are the Music in Me (Reprise)"	Sharpay and Troy	Sharpettes	Lava Springs stage
"Gotta Go My Own Way"	Gabriella	Troy	Lava Springs pool, locker Room, grounds
"Bet on It"	Troy	–	Lava Springs golf course
"Everyday"	Troy and Gabriella	Wildcats and company	Lava Springs stage
"All for One"	Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Taylor	Kelsi, Zeke, Martha, Jason, Wildcats, company	Lava Springs pool

Reception

Viewership

A performance of musical numbers from High School Musical 2 at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The first broadcast of the film on August 17, 2007, broke records, receiving 17.2 million viewers. ^[4] This number made it, at the time, the most-watched basic-cable telecast in history (the previous record was held by an edition of ESPN's Monday Night Football between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys on October 23, 2006, which attracted 16 million viewers), the most-watched made-for-cable movie ever (the previous record was held by TNT's January 21, 2001, airing of Crossfire Trail , which brought in 12.5 million viewers), and the largest audience of any program on broadcast or cable in the 2007 summer television season, along with Friday nights for the past five years. Ratings for the second showing of the movie fell to 8.4 million, and the third showing fell to 7.4 million, totaling the premiere weekend to 33.04 million viewers. ^[11] Following the movie's airing, a preview of the new Disney Channel show Phineas and Ferb aired, which starred Tisdale.

In Latin America, the premiere of High School Musical 2 was seen by 3.3 million viewers in the north region. The film was the most-watched in its schedule, among all cable channels, and produced the highest rating of the channel, surpassing all original films of Disney Channel. Among other records, the premiere in Argentina surpassed the debut of High School Musical the last year, in a 107 percent, while in Brazil the sequel reached 208 percent, and Mexico did so with 61 percent. ^[12] In the United Kingdom, the movie became Disney Channel UK's most viewed program ever, totaling 1.2 million viewers in its first showing. ^[13]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Surprisingly better than its predecessor, High School Musical 2 returns to enchant tweens with its snappy songs, wicked dance moves, and peppy spirit." ^[14] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". ^[15]

USA Today's Robert Bianco awarded the film three stars out of four, saying High School Musical 2 was "sweet, smart, bursting with talent and energy, and awash in innocence". ^[16] While critics enjoyed the film, they noted that the timing of the movie's premiere seemed odd, premiering just when school was about to start up again, while the movie's plot involved the gang going on summer vacation. ^[17] High School Musical 2 won the "So Hot Right Now" award at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2007, in which High School Musical castmate Zac Efron hosted with The Veronicas.

Stage adaptation

Main article: High School Musical 2: On Stage!

Pacific Repertory Theatre's School of Dramatic Arts High School Musical Act 1 Finale.

Like its predecessor, High School Musical 2 has been adapted into two different theatrical productions: a one-act, 70-minute version and a two-act full-length production. This stage production includes the song "Hummuhummunukunukuapua'a" that was left out of the original movie but included in the DVD. Through Music Theater International, Disney Theatrical began licensing the theatrical rights in October 2008. MTI had originally recruited 7 schools to serve as tests for the new full-length adaptation, but due to complications with multiple drafts of both the script and the score, all but two schools were forced to drop out of the pilot program.

• On May 18, 2008, Woodlands High School became the first school to produce High School Musical 2.
• From July 17–August 3, 2008, Harrell Theatre, in Collierville, Tennessee, was the first community theatre to perform the production, which featured both a senior cast and a junior cast.
• From January 15–February 15, 2009, the West Coast premiere production was presented by Pacific Repertory Theatre's School of Dramatic Arts. The production was directed by PacRep founder Stephen Moorer, who previously directed the California premiere of the first High School Musical. ^[18]
• From April 6–18, 2009, the UK Premiere was performed by StageDaze Theatre Company in Cardiff. ^[19]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result
2007	American Music Award	Favorite Soundtrack (High School Musical 2 (soundtrack))	Won
	Bravo Magazine Award	Bravo Otto for TV Star – Male (Zac Efron)	Won
	CMA Wild and Young Awards	Best Single International (You Are the Music in Me by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and written by Jamie Houston)	Won
	Family Television Awards	Best Actor (Zac Efron)	Won
	Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards	Fave Movie Star (Zac Efron)	Won
		So Hot Right Now!	Won
	Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards	Best TV Actress (Ashley Tisdale)	Won
		Best TV Actor (Zac Efron)	Nominated
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Star Under 35 (Zac Efron)	Won
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV: Movie	Won
2008	ALMA Award	Outstanding Director of a Made–for–TV Movie (Kenny Ortega)	Won
	ASTRA Awards	Favourite International Program	Won
		Favourite International Personality or Actor (Zac Efron)	Nominated
	Cinema Audio Society Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Miniseries (Douglas Cameron, Terry O'Bright and Keith Rogers)	Nominated
	Directors Guild of America Award	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Program (Kenny Ortega)	Nominated
	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing – Music for Long Form Television (Michael Dittrick and Amber Funk)	Won
	Image Award	Outstanding Children's Program	Nominated
	PGA Awards	Outstanding Producer for Long–Form Television (Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush)	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Choreography (Kenny Ortega, Bonnie Story and Charles Klapow)	Nominated
		Outstanding Children's Program (Don Schain, Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush)	Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming	Nominated

References

1. "Thedisneyblog.com". 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
2. Kissell, Rick; Schneider, Michael (August 18, 2007). "'High School Musical 2' aces test". Variety. Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
3. "Patriots-Ravens game sets cable TV viewership record". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
4. Kissell, Rick; Schneider, Michael (August 18, 2007). "'High School Musical 2' huge hit". Variety. Archived from the original on 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
5. "DisneyChannelFacts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
6. Weiss, Suzannah (22 September 2017). "Zac Efron Says He Had to "Fight" to Get His Voice in "High School Musical 2"". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
7. Reuters.com Archived 2009-01-10 at the Wayback Machine , "High School Musical 2" enters interactive semester
8. DirecTV.com Archived 2007-08-17 at the Wayback Machine , Press Release
9. "'High School Musical 2' Debuts First Song". Access Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
10. "High School Musical 2 enters interactive semester". Reuters. July 16, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
11. "Nielsen ratings for week of April 19". USA Today. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
12. Farandoo.com Archived 2008-02-02 at the Wayback Machine , HSM 2 alcanzó cifras récord en Latinoamérica!(in Spanish)
13. Digitalspy.co.uk Archived 2007-12-02 at the Wayback Machine , "High School Musical" proves UK ratings hit
14. "High School Musical 2 (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 2010-08-21. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
15. "High School Musical 2 (Disney) - Reviews from Metacritic". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
16. Robert Bianco, "'High School Musical' sequel holds onto note of innocence" Archived 2008-10-17 at the Wayback Machine , August 16, 2007.
17. Timeout.com Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine , Time Out New York: High School Musical 2.
18. Pacrep.org Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
19. HSM2onstage.co.uk ^{[ permanent dead link ]}

External links

• Official website
• High School Musical 2 at IMDb
• High School Musical 2 at AllMovie
• Disneychannel-asia.com, Official Asia site.
• Adisney.go.com, Official Aggregate site