High School Musical - What it Means

This past summer, my boss Dan gave me an article on Disney Channel's Original Movie, High School Musical.  The cable movie is a mega-hit and Dan wanted to know what that meant.  So I dutifully rented the movie and watched it with my daughter (age 11) and a few of my nieces (ages 12, 13, 13).  We watched the movie four separate times that weekend.  By the fourth time, we played the sing-along version and sang along.  Then I got to work on Monday and promptly was distracted by other things and never told Dan what I thought.

Fast forward to this week - my daughter informs me that her sixth grade class wants to perform High School Musical for the annual spring musical.  And then I remembered my long neglected assignment.  This time I bought the movie and watched it during lunch with the other New Persuaders in my office.  And then we all talked about it.  Here's what we came up with - some obvious, others maybe not so much:

• Be yourself, Believe in Yourself.  Don't cave into peer pressure. That's what my daughter and my nieces told me the message of the movie was. 
  • Jocks can sing, or bake; freaks can play musical instruments; geeks can dance hiphop.  It's a positive message.  And is related to the thinking that by being ourselves, we are the star of our own life and each one of us is special.  It helps that Disney cast unknowns to star in this movie. 
  • Now I do think each one of us is special, but not all of us are going to be superstars.  And I think when this "be yourself, believe in yourself" tenet is taken too far, you get contestants on American Idol who clearly stink, yet truly believe they are supremely talented.  To quote from The Incredibles: 

Helen: Everyone's special, Dash.
Dash: Which is another way of saying no-one is.

• The Tween Market (ages 8-14) is influential and sophisticated. Consider:
  • Almost 37 million viewers have watched the $4.2 million production [o f High School Musical] at least once since its first airing. (Newsweek, 7/24/06)
  • The soundtrack, a top-10 hit since its January release, is the year's biggest-selling CD, at 2.7 million copies. And the DVD has sold millions too.  (Newsweek, 7/24/06)
  • From Toy Directory Monthly: “Tweens have been raised as consumers,” said [Anne] Sutherland, co-author of the book Kidfluence: The Marketer’s Guide to Understanding and Reaching Generation Y—Kids, Tweens and Teens...
  • Reyne Rice of the research firm NPDFunworld credits Tween spending with bringing $3 billion of new money to the marketplace.  “They are a very vocal group,” Rice said. “They tell you exactly what they do and don’t want. Parents don’t want to buy something their kids don’t want."
  • You'll notice that High School Musical gives logical reasons for the kids to burst into song.  The two leads first sing together during a karaoke party.  With the exception of a couple songs, most of the other songs in the movie are part of a winter musicale the high school is putting on.  I've talked about this before - that if you want today's audiences to buy into your fantasy, you better explain yourself first - these kids are smart.
• It's the Music stupid. Music is interactive entertainment.  You can sing along, you can dance along, you can pretend to be the singer.  And if you are a tween, you'll do all of the above over and over and over again.  Thanks to devices like the iPod, music is accessible and part of these kids daily routine.  Music is central to their lives. 
  • No wonder Disney ran a karaoke version of the movie after it originally aired.  And Disney Channel also used its Web site to make the songs' lyrics available for download for 24 hours. More than 500,000 copies were downloaded within that period. (from Cnet News, 2/6/06)
  • Steve Jobs recently told Newsweek: 

"I think that music faded in importance for a while, and the iPod has helped to bring music back into people's lives in a really meaningful way. Music is so deep within all of us, but it's easy to go for a day or a week or a month or a year without really listening to music. And the iPod has changed that for tens of millions of people, and that makes me really happy, because I think music is good for the soul."

• We have become very conservative.  Many have said this movie is this generation's Grease, but I would beg to differ.  The students of Grease smoked, drank, had sex, got pregnant, and the ultimate message was you can't be yourself to get the guy.  The only things Grease has in common with High School Musical is that both take place in (fantasy) high school and both have singing and dancing. 
  • Newsweek described High School Musical's setting best:  "...there are cliques and rivalries at East High, but there's no sex, no drugs, no racial or ethnic tensions, no dropouts and no violence. Everyone is good-looking, well-dressed and talented. Classrooms are spacious and clean. In the end, the home team wins, all conflicts are resolved and everybody dances together in the gym. It's not high school; it's high school the way we wish it could be."
  • As a result of our conservatism, our thirst for G-rated fare is increasing.  Think Napoleon Dynamite.  Parents are increasingly involved in every aspect of their child's life. (Even interfering at work!) Parents want to comfortably watch a movie with their children.  And even if you're not such a conservative parent, you can enjoy making fun of the movie as you watch it.  And you can enjoy your child's enjoyment.  So it's win-win when you make G-rated fare. 

I think Disney was not completely surprised by the success of High School Musical because they knew what they were doing.  And now we have High School Musical, The Musical and High School Musical 2 to look forward to:

"East High is on summer hiatus, so the battleground shifts to the country club, founded by (who else?) Sharpay's granddad. Troy, Gabriella and the others show up as lifeguards, waiters and caddies. And the haves and the have-nots tee off in the club's annual midsummer night's musical. There'll be plenty of drama: this time around, Ryan may turn on his sis.  But will Troy finally get to kiss Gabriella?"

So now the comparisons will be with Dirty Dancing (Without the sex, abortion and affairs).

As for my experience with the movie, I'm embarrrassed to admit I had fun watching it.  I did make comments and poke fun, but I also sang along.  And I think that's a key ingredient for any successful venture these days - Make it Fun.

Comments

[Ashlyn]

hello HSM in USA...any1 of you(the actors and actress) hav one email add...add me as 'ashlyn_iz_ze_best@hotmail.com'

plz do it coz i really want it!!!XD

em...im ashlyn and i'm in mauritius...plz come to my country...u hav lots of fans here!
'
ok MWWWWWAAAA
bye bye then...love ya!

[Ashlyn]

Hi,

my name is Ashlyn,i am 13 and i live in mauritius, a very small country in the indian ocean.
I love HSM!! But the one i love the most is...the very sexy, handsome and very good actor...ZAC EFRON!!! i just wanna see him one day. hey HSM can't you come to mauritius?? my cousins live in Australia and went to see you on ice! unfortunately i wasn't there!! :(

In my school, i am a member of a fan club for ...ZAC EFRON. i have lots of photos of ZAC EFRON. i would be really glad if one day i could see him. but i love the other actors and actress too. but i just love ZAC EFRON a little more. but your all very good! i watched high school musical 2 in an aeroplane as i was going to Australia. unforunately i couldn't see you on ice as i was back to my country. i love you all!!! i can't say that i am your greatest fan because a lot of people throughout the world love you so...i will just say that you are the best!! ZAC EFRON is my best actor. ok i will leave you now. i hope you will one day come to mauritius!! :) i also hope that HSM 3 is as good as the first and second!! ok bye bye. love you lots!! big kisses to every one of HSM! i also like the films: jump in and hairspray with one corbin blue and the other one zac efron. ok love you all! bye MWAAA

[laithep@hotmail.co.uk]

hi zak in usa do u hav msn if u do add my at laithep@hotmail.co.uk

[Callie]

Funny how the most coherent, literate comment comes from a Grease-lover, innit? I'm with you on this one. Grease was much better.
(16 here)

[fatma]

high school musical 2 is much better than the first 1 ,,

[Carrie]

High School Musical 2 was even better than the original!

[Ally]

High School Musical is the best movie ever.I am the #1 fan.i have watched it 789 times.I am having a hsm 2 party tomorrow.I am 12 an di was 11 when i first saw high school musical.I am completely obsessed with High School Musical.

[Ally]

High School Musical is the best movie ever.I am the #1 fan.i have watched it 789 times.I am having a hsm 2 party tomorrow.I am 12 an di was 11 when i first saw high school musical.I am completely obsessed with High School Musical.

[Ally]

High School Musical is the best movie ever.I am the #1 fan.i have watched it 789 times.I am having a hsm 2 party tomorrow.I am 12 an di was 11 when i first saw high school musical.I am completely obsessed with High School Musical.

[telt10]

Hello,

I thought that you might want to know about this really nice and free wake up call service where your kids (or you) could be woken up by once of the stars of high school musical, I think that it wouldbe a great way to wake kids up on the first day of school, you can either have your kids woken up by Corbin or Ashley!

Check out the site:
hsm2wakeupcall.com
Oh by the way it is FREE

[Cheyenne Faulkner]

My name is cheyenne that sent that thing hey zack your cute thing

[Juliana]

Every Disney Channel movie advocates the same moral, Tiffany! It's cute when elementary school kids like this movie, but I don't understand why the cult following is primarily teenagers. It's a cute movie, but not a great one. It's not realistic, so I would introduce my kids to movies with a little bit more culture. I just don't understand why this one became so popular, when Disney Channel turns out dozens of other movies with a similar plot and the same moral.

[tiffany saddler]

MY NAME IS TIFFANY I AM 17 YEARS OLD . I THINK THAT HSM IS A GREAT MOVIE AND WAS NO WHERE NEAR A WAST OF TIME.i HAVE NO DOUBTS THAT THE NEXT ONE WILL BE ANYTHING LESS THEN SPECTACULAR. AND IF THE MAN BEHIND WALT DISNEY WAS ALIVE I AM SURE HE WOULD HAVE LOVED IT TO. AFTER ALL DISNEY IS KNOWN FOR SHOWING PEOPLE HOW DREAMS CAN COME TRUE AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THINKING OUT SIDE THE BOX. BEING A TEEN IN HIGH SCHOOL I SEE PEOPLE DO THINGS BECAUSE THEY WONT TO FIT IN WHEN REALLY ALL THEY SHOULD BE DOING IS STANDING OUT BECAUSE ITS THE DIFFERENCES THAT BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER JUST AS MUCH AS THE THINGS THAT ARE THE SAME.WHATS WRONG WITH GIVING PEOPLE HOPE? WHEN I DECIDE TO HAVE KIDS LATER ON IN LIFE I WOULD HOPE THAT MY CHILDREN LEARN THAT BEING DIFFERENT ISN'T A CRIME AND THAT FOLLOWING THERE DREAMS AREN'T EITHER.
IF YOUR NOT WILLING TO LET YOUR CHILDREN WATCH MOVIES THAT INSPIRE THEM THEN WHAT MAY I ASK ARE YOU LETTING THEM WATCH.
I ALSO THINK THAT GREASE IS A CLASSIC AND IS ONE OF MY FAVS.

[Juliana]

High School Musical was a failed attempt to bring impressionable kids a more wholesome version of Grease. You said Grease and HSM were not similar. Well, read this:
Boy and Girl meet in a neutral location over a break. They start to like each other, but never think they will see each other again. Girl transfers unexpectedly to boy's school. He isn't sure how to act around her in fear of what his friends might think. They are separated by social cliques. Guys all sing a song over their hobby ("Get your Head in the Game" and "Greased Lightning"). Girl sings a song about her loss of the boy ("When there was me and you" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You"). Despite obstacles, they end up together at the end. In the end, the entire cast gets together to sing a song about their "togetherness" ("We're all in this together" and "We go together") The only difference? Grease was more fun.
High School Musical made me feel like a manipulated baby. It shoves morals at you every chance it gets. High School Musical is turning children into puppetts. They don't think for themselves. This is one of those times when I wish I lived in the 60s. Question Authority, ya know? I was 12 when the movie came out, and I still wasn't impressed. If only Walt Disney was alive to see this...

[Emma brazier]

I think High School musical is exerlent film I watch it 6 times a day Keep Making them and the CDs And Books and everything

[wael]

hi i'm wael and i'm 13 years old , i like high school musical very very very very very much and i watched it 7 times and i still wanna watch it again , i'm the no.1 fan of this film , and i look everywhere and i'm still looking for your's e-mail adress , cause i just wanna talk to them...and i wanna tell them that they are the best...

[Kayla]

I have a wonderful suggestion for HSM2, don't make it and spare us our hearing and eyes.HSM was a waste of time and film, and if I were a parent, my child would not be allowed to watch it. It was a sorry little Barney movie. If only Walt Disney knew what kind of pointless movies were being shown on a channel named after him.

[Jenny Cao]

Hi, I'm Jenny and I'm ten years old.I'm the biggest ever fan..Bigger than anyone here. I have seen high school musical so many times and I am absoultly love it.. It wouldn't be high school musical without Vannessa Anne Hudgens, Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel. You are the best actors and your voice is so amazing like a voice of an angel.. I wish someone would notice me and my voice and I could become an actress and a singer like Vannessa Anne Hudgens.. Keep the good work guys!!!!! P.S I wish I could write to the actors or they write to me or meet them... It will be a dream come true!!

[Barry]

I have a much younger sister who watches this film!
I found it to be basic sumbliminal conservatism.
Of course children are not going to notice this or care! But parents out there, children consume what they see, and they are getting traditional values (such as differention between male and female, rich and poor - with an all-white middle-class cast) shoved down their throat.
What ever happened to individuality of thought! It has vanished, and been taken over by this right-wing desperate attempt at a film! PARENTS, DON'T SHOW YOUR CHILD THIS MOVIE

[Megan Lawlor]

Hiya,Im Megan Lawlor and im 11 years old. I just wanted to say i love High school Musical its the best film i have ever watched i have watched it over 10 times its brill. I just wanted to no if you had a email address or msn so i could talk to you properly cause i am your no.1 fan. Luvz ya .

From Megan x x

[Martha Addis]

I am Martha Addis and I am 9 years old I love high school musical and I am basicaly the biggest fan! I am English. I really want to write to you in the post but I can't find your post address anywhere. I have some ideas for High School Musical 2. It is about this girl who hates music and loves basket ball and she is Tory and Gabriellas Kid. Troy and Gabriella try to convince her to join the school drama club and do the play.

[David Taylor (from Where'sTheSausage)]

Fascinating and insightful analysis of this amazing phenomenon. As a dad of an 8-year old girl who is glued to it every night, I can vouch that this is poweful stuff.All this for an investment of less then $5million for Disney!