Telelore

Overview

On New Year's Eve, high school juniors Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are both vacationing at a ski lodge in Utah and meet when they are called up to sing a karaoke duet together ("Start of Something New") during a party. Troy returns home to East High School in New Mexico, where he is captain of the basketball team which his father coaches. By coincidence, Gabriella has just transferred to East High, and as Troy shows Gabriella around the school, drama club president Sharpay Evans assumes that Gabriella is interested in auditioning for the school musical. The jealous Sharpay discovers Gabriella's past academic achievements, and anonymously informs scholastic decathlon captain Taylor McKessie so she will recruit Gabriella for the team. During basketball practice, Troy is distracted by thoughts of Gabriella and the idea that he might enjoy singing ("Get'cha Head in the Game"). From the back of the auditorium, Gabriella and Troy watch Sharpay and her twin brother Ryan audition for the musical with an uptempo version of "What I've Been Looking For". Troy and Gabriella step forward at the last minute, but drama teacher Ms. Darbus tells them they are too late. While helping Kelsi Nielsen, the musical's composer, pick up sheet music, they give an impromptu performance of the same song at its original ballad tempo ("What I've Been Looking For" (reprise)). Overhearing their performance, Ms. Darbus gives them a callback audition. When the callback list is posted, Sharpay is furious that she has Gabriella as competition for the lead role, while the Wildcats basketball team is shocked that Troy has auditioned. After discovering that Troy is eager to step outside of the social norms, other students confess their secret passions and talents ("Stick to the Status Quo"). This alarms Taylor and Troy's best friend Chad Danforth, who work together to trick Gabriella into believing Troy does not care about her. Upset by what she perceives as Troy's betrayal and callous disregard for her ("When There Was Me and You"), Gabriella decides to not audition for the musical and distances herself from Troy. Realizing their mistake, Chad and Taylor admit their role in sabotaging Troy and Gabriella's relationship. Troy goes to Gabriella's house and they reconcile, determined to audition for the musical. Overhearing Gabriella and Troy rehearse, Sharpay convinces Ms. Darbus to reschedule the callback auditions so they begin at the same time as both Troy's championship game and Gabriella's scholastic decathlon competition. The basketball and decathlon teams work together to allow Troy and Gabriella to leave by hacking the power in the gym and causing a chemical reaction that forces an evacuation during the decathlon. Troy and Gabriella rush to the auditorium as Sharpay and Ryan finish their callback song ("Bop to the Top"). After Gabriella and Troy successfully perform their song "Breaking Free", Ms. Darbus gives them the lead roles, making Sharpay and Ryan understudies. Both teams win their respective competitions, Chad asks Taylor out, Sharpay makes a truce with Gabriella, and the entire school gathers in the gym to celebrate ("We're All in This Together"). In a post-credits scene, Sharpay praises Zeke for a bag of cookies he made for her, and he says he will make her a crème brûlée.

Runtime
1 h 38 min
Released
2006-01-20, United States
Countries
United States
Original language
English

Story and connections

Release history

  1. United States
  2. Russia

Cast and crew

28See all credits

Videos and photos

Photos

Production and reception

See all production notes

Production

Disney executives Gary Marsh, former president of Disney Channels Worldwide, and Michael Healy, former Senior Vice President of Disney Channel's original movies, had led the production of the network's made-for-television films throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Television writer Peter Barsocchini approached Healy in 2004 with the desire to write a television film that his then 9-year-old daughter would enjoy.

Reception

Upon its premiere, the film attracted 7.7 million viewers. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "High School Musical is brazenly saccharine, but it makes up for it with its memorable show tunes, eye-popping choreography, and appealing cast." Common Sense Media rated the film four out of five stars. Kevin Carr gave the film a score of three out of five, saying, "The filmmakers were just trying to tell a story. Sex, drugs and violence just didn't factor into that equation."

  • [after forcing Troy and Gabriella on stage] You know, someday, someday you might thank me for this.

    Read the full quote

    DJ

  • Troy: [after Gabriella makes a three point shot on the first try] Whoa, don't tell me you're good at hoops, too.

    Gabriella: You know, I once scored forty-one points in a league championship game.

    Troy: No way.

    Gabriella…

    Read the full quote

  • Chad: Have you ever seen Michael Crawford on a cereal box?

    Troy: Who's Michael Crawford?

    Chad: Exactly my point! He was the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Now my mom, she's seen that musical twenty-seven times. And…

    Read the full quote

  • Chad: Yeah, and Zeke? Zeke is baking. Crème brûlée.

    Troy: Oh, what's that?

    Zeke: Oh, it's a creamy custard-like filling with a carmelized surface. It's really satisfying.

    Chad: Shut up, Zeke!

    Read the full quote

  • Sharpay: How dare she sign up? I've already picked out the colors for my dressing room!

    Ryan: And, she hasn't even asked our permission to join the drama club.

    Sharpay: Someone's got to tell her the rules.

    Ryan: Exactly.…

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  • Mrs. Bolton: Troy, they've got a kid's party downstairs.

    Troy: [whines] Kid's party?

    Mrs. Bolton: [sighs] Young Adult's.

    Read the full quote

  • High School Musical

    2006

  1. 1Bop to the TopPerformed by Lucas Grabeel, Ashley Tisdale
  2. 2Breaking FreePerformed by Drew Seeley, Vanessa Hudgens
  3. 3Breaking Free (karaoke instrumental)Performed by Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens
  4. 4Briser mes chaînesPerformed by Sofiane Tadjine
  5. 5Get’cha Head in the GamePerformed by Drew Seeley
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