Exactly 20 years ago, two things occurred that changed my life forever. For one, I was literally born and, two, “High School Musical,” the most popular Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) franchise, premiered. 

Directed by the one and only Kenny Ortega, “High School Musical” follows basketball boy Troy Bolton and freaky genius girl Gabriella Montez after being forced onstage at a ski-lodge to sing karaoke on New Years Eve. 

The two protagonists run into each other at East High after break, Gabriella the new girl at school and Troy the Wildcat’s basketball captain preparing for the championship game, the entire school counting on him to get his head in the game and win with no distractions.

Nobody expected the basketball boy to attend the high school musical auditions because that’s for the drama geeks, specifically Sharpay and Ryan Evans. 

And that’s where history began. 

Without High School Musical, the DCOMs of today never would have existed. “Descendants,” “Camp Rock,” “Teen Beach Movie” and “Zombies” wouldn’t have happened or have been as big as they were. These DCOMs would not have had the success set forth by the musical movie. With the success of the 20 year old movie, the budget for DCOMs increased and were able to be bigger than they had been

The movie was partially a test, taking a simple and relatable plot and turning it into a musical. And turning it into the blueprint of future DCOMs.

While it’s been 20 years, “High School Musical,” and the message it gave in not sticking to the status quo, hold up nicely. 

The songs and characters are all iconic to this day. From “We’re All in this Together” to “Fabulous” in the second movie to “Now or Never” in the third, the songs are cult classics. The characters themselves are iconic in their own ways, even today, there are debates about whether or not Sharpay is the villain of the franchise. 

Newsflash, she’s not the villain and I’d rather watch a musical with her than Gabriella any day. 

There’s been two sequels, a spin-off movie following Sharpay in New York and a Disney+ mockumentary series based on the drama club students at the real life East High as they try to put on theatre productions each season, specifically one that is the stage production of the cultural phenomenon that is this movie that stars Zac Efron, everyone’s childhood crush. Or at least mine. 

“High School Musical” skyrocketed the careers of the majority of the cast when it aired, most being in smaller productions as side or background characters. However, by the time High School Musical aired, Ashley Tisdale, who plays Sharapy, was already a Disney Channel name with her role as Maddie in “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” but for the rest of the cast, “High School Musical” was their claim to fame. 

Every year on Jan. 20, fans of the movie always say, “I can’t believe it’s been ‘insert amount of years here’ since ‘High School Musical’ premiered. I feel so old” and that’s truly the only movie people seem to do that with. 

“High School Musical” made such an impact on the culture, the DCOM future, the cast, and the fans. 

Bop to the top with this high school based musical at some point this week in celebration of the anniversary. I’m sure you’ll find it a fabulous way to spend your time. 

Categories: Arts & Entertainment