Upon its release on January 20, 2006, as part of Disney Channel's 'Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance Week' block, it became the most commercially successful DCOM ever produced.
The film has been described by Barsocchini and numerous critics as a modern adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. Additional filming took place in Los Angeles. Principal photography for High School Musical primarily took place in Utah, with filming locations including East High School, Murray High School, and Salt Lake City.
In High School Musical, Troy Bolton (Efron), the basketball team captain, and Gabriella Montez (Hudgens), an academically gifted transfer student, try out for the lead parts in their school musical, causing division among the school's cliques.ĭevelopment for the film began after Disney network executives wanted to replicate the critical and viewership success of standalone musical episodes in their television series Even Stevens (2000–2003) and That's So Raven (2003–2007). The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the High School Musical film series, the film stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Alyson Reed, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman. High School Musical is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini.
