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High School Musical
Disney Channel’s original movie, High School Musical, is available on DVD. The DVD version includes bonus features to very popular film. Preteens and teenagers love the fun music and storyline as Disney continues it trademark ability to bring both story and morality to film in a believable and enticing way.
A flashback to the old musicals of stage and screen, High School Musical brings the story of two teenagers overcoming obstacles to follow their dreams to life, with fun, story moving lyrics and exciting dance sequences. The story follows Troy, the star and captain of the High School basketball team. Troy is the son of the team’s coach and very popular around campus for his athletic ability. At the start of the movie we find that their team will be playing in the Championship game in a matter of weeks.
Enter Gabriella, a new student who excels academically but has transferred school a number of times and is trying to find a way to fit in. Gabriella and Troy meet over the holiday break and sing together at a New Year’s Eve party. They both find that they love singing, especially together, even though they are not known to be involved in dramatics. They, almost accidentally, try out for the school musical together, getting a call back. From there, the school’s two drama club heads, which always get the lead roles in school performances, are angry that the basketball star and brainiac are invading their spotlight.
Troy’s friends on the basketball thing feel that he’s abandoning them for singing. Gabriella’s Academic Club friends feel that she’s wasting her intelligence with a basketball player and musical play. The whole school is in uproar because these two popular kids don’t know that they’re supposed to stick to what they know rather than try new things! Now other kids are following their lead, and trying new things that aren’t in with the crowd they normally frequent. Over the course of the movie there are some great songs, and some good lessons about not putting yourself or anyone else in a box. A running theme exists, telling kids to be true to yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks, and being there for your friends, even when you don’t agree.
The Academic Club and Basketball team get together to plot a way to get Troy back to basketball and Gabriella back to Academics. This, of course, backfires; they create a wedge but realize in working together that they should be better friends to Troy and Gabriella. Adding pressure to Troy’s situation is his dad, who thinks Troy should spend less time with Gabriella and more time with his basketball team. The main antagonists are Sharpe and her brother, who plot against the couple being able to try out, and possibly steal their coveted leading roles.
In the end the Academic and Basketball teams work together to make sure that Troy and Gabriella get the chance to audition, play in the Championship game, and compete in the athletic meet. An innocent and fun film, there is an underlying romance between the lead characters, but nothing so overt as to be bad for younger kids.
The lessons are universal. The DVD version includes extra music videos and instructions for kids to master the dance steps. A great fun time for any kid who likes music, and a wonderful way to introduce them to the almost lost art of the great musical productions.
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