High School Musical (2006) --- Disney Presents a fun teen drama to song

Due to a chance meeting at a karaoke contest, two high school students cross paths for the first time. Troy Bolton has been the high-school sweetheart for some time, sitting at the top of the popularity "game", and also being captain of the basketball team has gained him many friends. Gabriella Montez has moved from school to school, each time proving just how intelligent she is through school endeavors, which have resulted in winning many awards and gaining her the title of a "brain child." It would seem that they are worlds apart, but when they meet for the first time on a karaoke stage, they are going to be forced to deal with a new facet of their lives. When they are chosen to do a duet together out of a crowd of people, they are thrust into the spotlight and forced to show of their singing abilities. Though they both lack the confidence, it quickly becomes very obvious that they are very talented when it comes to being a stage presence.

When the winter break ends, and high school gets back into Spring session, we find that Troy attends East High School, and that surprisingly Gabriella and her family are moving into the city, placing her as a new student at East as well. They meet up again, and Troy is assigned to show Gabriella’s around the school. It is evident that there are some sparks between them, and slowly it seems that their interest for one another starts to grow. When the winter musical for East High starts looking for participants, they find themselves drawn towards the possibility of joining, but neither feels comfortable stepping outside of their social bubble. Troy doesn't think that is basketball friends will support his decision, and Gabriella is doing everything she can to not fall in to any stereotypes within her new school. She just wants to fit in, and doesn't want to be made fun of for any decision that she makes. With both refusing to listen to their hearts, it quickly becomes apparent that they aren't going to be completely happy unless they are willing to step outside of their own comfort zones.

In addition to the two main characters, there are of course many friends who find themselves both pushing and pulling the two leads to do specific things, and further show the stereotypes of some cliques within high schools. There are also a pair of siblings that seem intent on keeping the drama club all to themselves, and are threatened that another pair of singers might want to take part in the winter performance. This is where the story starts to lead, as the leads attempt to be a part of the musical, but simultaneously try to keep it a secret from their closest friends. At times it seems they are almost embarrassed to be considered singers either due to their fear of performing, or due to what they believe that people's reactions will end up being. It is easy to see who the antagonists and the protagonists of the story are going to be, and the drama quickly settles into whether or not the leads are going to do what makes them happy, or what they think will help them to fit in at East High.

The story of High School Musical is one that is set up easily from the start, and one which you can enjoy without putting too much effort into understanding what is taking place on the screen. That makes the movie more enjoyable in my opinion, and it lets you enjoy all of the musical numbers that are continuously springing up at turns in the story. This really is one of your typical high school stories, with the trick being that a lot of it is done to song and dance. This brings a few extra laughs to the story that make it more intriguing, and by far, it makes the movie a lot more fun to watch. Sure some of the songs are a little silly, but that made it even more enjoyable to me. This is a film geared heavily towards a younger audience, up through those in high school, and will interest those that like Disney type films the most. The stars are relatively unknown as of now, with this film being their major credit, but I think some of them could see an advancement in their careers as a result. Even though I am 28, I still found the film fun, and thought that there were some nice messages about pursuing your interests despite what others might think. I do give it a nice recommendation as a result, and think that it is one worth watching.