Disney Movie – High School Musical 2 – Opening This Friday

I am an adult; it is true that he is not a “teenager” or “tweener”. Still, it’s hard to avoid all the hype surrounding the debut of the new Disney movie “High School Musical 2” this Friday on the Disney Channel. When the original High School Musical came out early last year, it became a hit movie within the industry. Not many people, ahead of time, could have predicted the influence this film had on the entire United States. Unlike most movies that, when they’re rerun on TV, have their Neilson ratings drop over time, “High School Musical” wasn’t the case. The ratings actually grew with each broadcast on the Disney channel.

In fact, much like the “Titanic” movie phenomenon in the late 1990s, when teenage children (especially girls) flocked to the theater to see Leonardo DiCaprio repeatedly, many children have seen “High School Musical” over and over again. Disney even started streaming the movie with the lyrics of the song on the screen so that viewers could sing along with the music. It also allowed the film’s two lead actors (Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, pictured above) to become idols for teen fans across America. In fact, Efron appeared in another hit music this summer, “Hairspray,” and I’m sure many 14-18 year olds went to the movies just to see Mr. Efron.

Another actress from the movie, Ashley Tisdale, (known for her appearance on the Disney TV show “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody”) has released her debut solo album. The “High School Musical” CD had the most sales of any album released in the past year in this country. Disney broke the bank by selling clothing, videos, toys and dolls bought by “tween” fans of the film. High school music programs across the United States produced theatrical performances of this film. Who would have “thought” it, as the saying goes?

Actually, with the power, influence and clout that the Disney chain has, especially with children under 14; It’s perhaps not so surprising that the “High School Musical” phenomenon is spreading like a virus across this country. Disney is known for producing kid-friendly movies. Parents don’t have to worry about their kids seeing something embarrassing online; graphic language, including the innuendo of sex, risqué dialogue, violence, etc., are naturally strictly prohibited on the web. The original theme of “High School Musical”, which fused the influences of music, sports, dance and a funny love story between two high school boys, had a very important message that everyone can relate to.

This message was that if you have a dream in life, don’t let anything stop you from striving for those dreams. Zac Efron’s character was a star basketball player on his school team. His father was the coach of the team and required his son in his athletic activities. But Efron’s character also longed to sing and be in the annual high school musical production. The young man was even willing to put his role as a character in the musical production before his role in the basketball team; much to the regret of his father/his coach. I think the message was that a person (a 16 year old high school student in this case) has to believe so much in himself and be willing to follow her dreams); without being selfishly influenced or influenced by others.

As I mentioned earlier, it was interesting to see how the original “High School Musical” movie had such an influence, even among high school students in this country. In an era when many high school boys throughout this decade have been known to be fans of rap and hip-hop music (along with its profanity lyrics and degradation of women), USA Today published a story front page several weeks ago. about the Disney musical/movie. This article discussed the positive influence the film had generated in the United States, and how the original CD released last year had eclipsed the sales of all other rap and similar music in that genre. In fact, rap albums released during the year 2006 dropped substantially, as many school-age children opted to invest their money in a Disney movie album. I hope I’m not naive to believe that perhaps adolescent children are sending a message to the “50 cents” of the world. The message is that many 12- to 17-year-olds suddenly feel rejected by adult rap, foul-mouthed lyrics, and music lyrics that portray women as sex objects; and that these women are used and abused by men.

That’s why I say: Let’s go to “High School Musical”! Even as an adult, I’ll probably have my TV tuned to the Disney Channel this Friday at 8pm. – when the movie “High School Musical 2” is released. I’d see that anytime during a rap concert where the featured artist spews every swear word known to mankind while performing his songs!

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