High School Musical 2
High School Musical 2 is a 2007 American musical television film written by Peter Barsocchini and directed by Kenny Ortega. It is the second installment in the High School Musical trilogy.
High School Musical 2 follows Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez, and the rest of the East High Wildcats as they go on summer vacation. Troy, job hunting to fund his upcoming expedition to college, manages to gain employment for him and his friends at a country club owned by Sharpay Evans. Unbeknownst to Troy and the team, Sharpay seeks to sabotage their friendship, as well as the romance between Troy and Gabriella, and begin a relationship with him instead.
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 adopted as 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 ever produced. In the U.S., High School Musical 2 generated 17 million viewers in its premiere broadcast, smashing the record of its predecessor by over ten million, while the figure remains the highest the network has ever produced. It also ranked as the highest-rated basic cable telecast at the time.
The film's soundtrack also enjoyed widespread success; it was certified double platinum in its first week as it debuted at number one in the United States. Additionally, its lead single, "What Time Is It?", reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The film and soundtrack received generally mixed reviews from critics, whereas fan reception was more positive.
A sequel, , was released theatrically in 2008.
Plot
The school year ends with everyone at East High School looking forward to summer vacation. 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, 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, 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 want to quit. Fulton attempts to intimidate the group, but Troy rebuilds their confidence and convinces them that they can persevere.
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, not knowing that Sharpay is vying for his attention..
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.
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.
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, leaves Lava Springs, and gives him the necklace back.
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. He begins to reconcile with Chad and his other friends. Troy confronts Sharpay, informing her that he will not sing with her. The Wildcats 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 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, which features a cameo appearance by Miley Cyrus.
Cast
- Troy Bolton is Gabriella's boyfriend, the most popular male student at East High School and the captain of the varsity basketball team. 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.
- Gabriella Montez is Troy's girlfriend who is relieved that she will still be attending East High. She is the lifeguard at the Lava Springs Country Club until Sharpay's actions cause her to quit and break up with Troy.
- Ryan Evans is Sharpay's twin brother who lives in the shadow of his primadonna sister.
- Sharpay Evans is Ryan's primadonna twin sister determined to win the talent show while also vying for Troy's attention and doing anything to help him.
- Chad Danforth is Troy's best friend and is very good friends with Jason and Zeke.
- Taylor McKessie is Gabriella's best friend. She is also friends with Kelsi Nielsen and Martha Cox and is dating Chad. She is captain of the school Scholastic Decathlon team. She has a summer job at Lava Springs as an Activities Coordinator.
- Thomas Fulton is the manager of Lava Springs.
- Coach Jack Bolton is Troy's father and East High's basketball coach.
- Darby Evans is Sharpay and Ryan's mother and president of the Lava Springs Board.
- Vance Evans is Sharpay and Ryan's father.
- Ms. Darbus is the stern drama teacher at East High.
- Zeke Baylor is friends with Troy and Chad and plays for the basketball team.
- Jason Cross is friends with Troy, Chad, and Zeke and plays on the basketball team.
- Kelsi Nielsen is friends with Gabriella and Taylor and a pianist and composer.
- Martha Cox is friends with Gabriella, Kelsi, and Taylor.
- Jackie is one of Sharpay’s friends.
- Lucille Bolton is Troy's mother.
- Lea is another Sharpette.
- Emma is another Sharpette.
- Unknown Wildcats player is the principal dancer.
- Girl At Pool is an unknown dancer at the end.
Release
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, and similarly "You Are The Music In Me" premiered on July 13, 2007.
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
| 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 | Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad, Taylor | Wildcats | East High's School Grounds |
| 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 | 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
The first broadcast of the film on August 17, 2007 broke records, receiving 17.2 million viewers. This number made it, at the time, the most-watched basic-cable telecast in history, the most-watched made-for-cable movie ever, 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.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. In the United Kingdom, the movie became Disney Channel UK's most viewed program ever, totaling 1.2 million viewers in its first showing.
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, gaining a score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes while gaining a score of 72/100 at Metacritic. 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". 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. 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.
High School Musical 2: On Stage!
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.- 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 founderStephen Moorer, who previously directed the California premiere of the first High School Musical.
- From April 6–18, 2009, the UK Premiere was performed by StageDaze Theatre Company in Cardiff.
Awards