High School Musical Series

High School Musical (HSM) is an Emmy Award-winning movie. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful movie that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced. High School Musical was Disney Channel's most watched movie at its time, with 7.7 million viewers in its premiere broadcast in the US. In the UK, it received 789,000 viewers for its premiere, making it the second most watched program for the Disney Channel (UK) of 2006. The film's soundtrack was the best-selling album in the United States for 2006. With a plot described by the author and numerous critics as a modern adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, High School Musical is a story about two high school juniors from rival cliques - Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens), a beautiful and shy transfer student who excels in math and science. Together, they try out for the lead parts in their high school musical, and as a result, divide the school. Despite other students' attempts to thwart their dreams, Troy and Gabriella resist peer pressure and rivalry, inspiring others along the way not to "stick to the status quo." It was also the first ever Disney Channel Original Movie to be broadcast on the BBC on December 29, 2006.High School Musical was filmed at East High School located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the auditorium of Murray High School, and Downtown Salt Lake City. Murray High School was also the set of: Take Down (1978), Read It and Weep (2006), Minutemen (2008)and High School Musical: Get in the Picture (2008)

A television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007. High School Musical 2 is the second film in the High School Musical film franchise. The World Premiere took place on August 14, 2007 in Downtown Disney, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California. As celebrities swept down the blue carpet, the cast including Ashley Tisdale, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens arrived one by one on the back of open top cars to be met by screaming fans from all over the world. The film debuted on TV on August 17, 2007 on Disney Channel in the U.S., and on Family in Canada. The premiere brought in a total of 17.3 million viewers in the United States-almost 10 million more than its predecessor-making it the highest-rated Disney Channel Movie to date.

The feature film High School Musical 3: Senior Year released theatrically in October 2008. It will be the first Disney Channel Original movie to have a theatrical sequel. High School Musical 3: Senior Year is the third installment in Disney's High School Musical film franchise. Its theatrical release in the United States began on October 24, 2008. Kenny Ortega returns as director and choreographer, as do all six primary actors.
This latest sequel follows high school seniors Troy and Gabriella, who are faced with the ultimate prospect of being separated from one another as they go off in different directions after graduating from East High. Joined by the rest of their Wildcat friends, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes, and fears about the future.
In its first 3 days, High School Musical 3: Senior Year grossed $42 million in North America and an additional $40 million overseas, breaking the record for the largest opening weekend for a musical film.

Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is the male protagonist of the movie. He is the most popular male student at East High School, and the captain of the varsity basketball team. During the countdown to the New Year, Troy and Gabriella exchanged cell phone numbers. Gabriella later moved to Albuquerque due to her mother's career, surprising Troy when she arrived at his school. They audition and eventually win the lead roles in the high school's Winter Musical. In this newest edition, Troy, along with most of East High, takes a summer job at Lava Springs, the country club owned by Sharpay and Ryan Evans' parents. Over the summer, he gets new opportunities to go to a great college, and easily obtain a basketball scholarship, but becomes arrogant as a result; this causes jealousy in his best friend, Chad Danforth, and Gabriella starts to worry that he has forgotten about his friends. However, he put aside his difference and reconciled with them after learning that Sharpay was stealing him from them, causing him to confront her and tell her that he will not sing with her because of how she treated his friends. During the middle of the movie, he hints jealousy when Gabriella spends time with Ryan. He is also a friend with Jason and Zeke. For this movie, Efron did all of his own singing, whereas in the first High School Musical, his singing was blended with singer Andrew Seeley's voice.

Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) is the female protagonist of the movie. She is an academic, who won East High the Scholastic Decathlon in the first film. Known as the "freaky math girl" in her old school, she is shy and intelligent, but finds a new popularity for herself at East High when she enters into a relationship with Troy Bolton. Along with most of East High, she takes a summer job at Lava Springs (as a lifeguard), the country club owned by Sharpay and Ryan Evans' parents. As the summer progresses, she feels Troy has become a different person when he gets new opportunities via promotions. Gabriella starts spending time and befriends with Ryan but does not notice his crush on her. The pair (Gabriella and Troy) briefly split up but get back together at the end of the movie. Her best friend is Taylor McKessie. She is also a good friend with Kelsi Nielsen and Martha Cox. Near the end of the movie, she shares a kiss with Troy.

Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) is the antagonist of the film. She plans to spend the summer lounging around her parent's country club, Lava Springs, and winning the country club's mid-summer talent show (which is heavily biased in her favor). Sharpay is attracted to Troy Bolton and tries to steal him away from Gabriella and his friends throughout the movie. Her plan is taken to a completely new notch when she promotes Troy to be an honorary member of the club, and cancels the Wildcats' performance in the talent show. She is convinced that Troy and Gabriella singing together could steal her spotlight -- after the pair previously beat her and her brother out to star in the lead roles for the Winter Musical of "Twinkle Town". Not only does Sharpay succeed in alienating herself, once again, from her peers, but she also causes a rift between herself and her brother, Ryan. Her plan is unsuccessful when Troy confronts her about how she has treated his friends, but in the end, her classmates accept her.

Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel) is Sharpay's fraternal twin brother, who is stuck between being an antagonist and a protagonist. Throughout the first movie, we see that he owes his total devotion to Sharpay. He is portrayed as being minimally intelligent; in High School Musical, he is unable to read the word "Drama". Both impressions change during the second movie, when his sister decides to sing with Troy during the talent show instead of Ryan. Desiring to spite his sister because of this, he decides to direct the talent show performance of the Wildcats working at Lava Springs. During the middle of the movie, Ryan shows a mild platonic attraction to Gabriella. He also becomes friends with Chad Danforth.

Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) is Troy's best friend, and is very good friends with Jason and Zeke. He has a summer job at Lava Springs as a waiter and part-time golf caddy, and is saving the money from his job to get a car to impress his girlfriend Taylor, with whom he appears to be in a serious relationship. After Troy is promoted, Chad becomes a little jealous of him and hates the way Troy is being treated by Sharpay while he and the others tend to the customers. He begins to drift away from Troy, and as they begin to separate from each other, he becomes great friends with Ryan Evans by playing baseball together. However, when he learned from Kelsi that Troy confronted Sharpay of how she treated his friends, he and Troy reconcile.

Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman) 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. She always sees through Sharpay, and tends to be cynical when it comes to boys

Kelsi Nielsen (Olesya Rulin) is a student at East High. She is a pianist, and is hired as such at Lava Springs. She is a friend with Gabriella, Martha, and Taylor. She is also dating Jason Cross. She was the one who told Troy about Sharpay's schemes which prompts him to confront Sharpay.