| High School Musical 2 | |
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Promotional poster |
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| Distributed by | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| Directed by | Kenny Ortega |
| Produced by | Bill Borden Kenny Ortega |
| Written by | Peter Barsocchini |
| Starring | Zac Efron Vanessa Hudgens Ashley Tisdale Lucas Grabeel Corbin Bleu Monique Coleman |
| Music by | Randy Peterson Antonnia Armato Andy Dodd Faye Greenberg Jamie Houston David Lawrence Adam Watts Matthew Gerrard Kevin Quinn Robbie Nevil Shankar Mahadevan[1] |
| Editing by | Seth Flaum |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release date | August 17, 2007 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Preceded by | High School Musical |
| Followed by | High School Musical 3: Senior Year |
High School Musical 2 is the second film in the High School Musical series. The World Premiere took place on August 14, 2007[2] at Disneyland, in Anaheim, California. The primary cast, including Zac Efron, Corbin Bleu, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale, attended the event. The film debuted on television on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel in the U.S., and on Family in Canada.
In the second installment of the Disney franchise, high school student Troy Bolton stresses over getting a job, with the price of college expenses looming on his mind, as well as trying to make sure he and Gabriella Montez are able to stay together all summer. This situation attracts the attention of Sharpay Evans, who attempts to steal Troy for herself by hiring him at her family's country club.
The premiere was seen by a total of over 18 million viewers in the United States which is almost 10 million more than its predecessor, making it the highest-rated Disney Channel Movie of all time.[3][4][5]
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The school year ends with everyone at East High School 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 part of the summer at their family's country club, Lava Springs ("Fabulous"), but Sharpay's summer plans also include pursuing Troy, whom she has arranged to be hired at the club. However, Troy convinces the club's manager, Mr. Fulton, into hiring Gabriella and their close group of friends as well; including Taylor and Chad. 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 be best 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 promoted, hoping that this will convince him to sing with her at the talent show. Meanwhile, Kelsi writes a ballad for Troy and Gabriella. Troy agrees to sing with his friends in the show ("You Are The Music In Me"), not knowing that Sharpay is vying for his attention. (In the extended version, Sharpay and Ryan trap Troy as he prepares for a date with Gabriella, and perform their potential show stopper ("Humuhumunukunukuapua'a").)
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 tension between the twin siblings and Ryan angrily informs Sharpay that he will no longer obey her orders. Taylor and Gabriella invite Ryan to the 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. Owing to a "promise" from Troy, he and Sharpay practice their song for the Midsummer Night's Talent Show ("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 Mr. Fulton to ban all junior staff members from performing. Gabriella angrily confronts Sharpay about her interference and quits her job at Lava Springs. Troy overhears the exchange, and tries to persuade Gabriella to change her mind. Gabriella expresses her loss of trust with Troy ("Gotta Go My Own Way") and leaves Lava Springs, & gives him the necklace back. It also seems that they broke up, also.
Troy returns to work the next day to find that his friends refuse to talk to him. Kelsi silently shows Troy the notice from Mr. Fulton, causing Troy to question his own motivations ("Bet On It"). He begins to reconcile with Chad and his other friends. Then Troy confronts Sharpay, informing her that he will not sing with her. The Wildcats and Chad forgive Troy for his absence and convince him to sing in the talent show, 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 sings the song ("Everyday") alone, until Gabriella surprisingly joins him onstage. In the end, Sharpay proudly presents her brother, Ryan, with the award for the talent show. After the talent show, all the Wildcats go to the golf course to enjoy the fireworks.
Everyone celebrates the end of the summer with a pool party ("All for One") which features a cameo appearance by Miley Cyrus.
The premiere of High School Musical 2 aired at 8PM 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.[6] 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.[7]
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,[8] and similarly "You Are The Music In Me" premiered on July 13, 2007.[9]
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.
| Song | Chiefly Sung By | Other Singers | Scene |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Time Is It | Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Taylor | Wildcats | East High's Classroom, Hallways, Cafeteria |
| What Time Is It (Reprise) | Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Taylor | Wildcats | East High's School Grounds |
| Fabulous | Sharpay and 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) | Troy & Sharpay | Sharpettes | Lava Springs Stage |
| Gotta Go My Own Way | Gabriella | Troy | Lava Springs Pool, Locker Room, Grounds |
| Bet On It | Troy | None | 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 |
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.[10]
In Latin America, the premiere of High School Musical 2 was be 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.[11] In the United Kingdom, the movie became Disney Channel UK's most viewed program ever, totaling 1.2 million viewers in its first showing.[12]
The film was generally well-received by critics, gaining a score of 77/100 at Metacritic,[13] while it received a generally mixed response of 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. [14] 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".[15] 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.[16] High School Musical 2 won the "So Hot Right Now" award at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2007 in which High School Musical cast mate, Zac Efron hosted with The Veronicas.
Like the original High School Musical, the sequel 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.
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