High School Musical celebrates 10th anniversary

McKenzie Feldman
Staff Writer

      Disney Channel’s smash hit, High School Musical, turned ten years old on Jan. 20, 2016. The cast reunited on Disney Channel during a special telecast of the movie held on the anniversary. Superstars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisldale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel and Monique Coleman took a part in the memorable reunion. Sadly, the lead star, Zac Efron, was not able to join fellow cast mates. However, he did appear in a pre-taped message for the fans. Before we get into more details on the reunion, let’s take a walk down memory lane to when High School Musical hit the small screen ten years ago. 

      There is no doubt that High School Musical quickly became a cultural phenomenon. When the movie first broadcasted, it was viewed by 7.7 million people in the U.S. The original soundtrack became the number one album in 2006, and people fell in love with the story of Troy, Gabriella, and their fellow Wildcat. Two additional movies were made, followed by arena concerts and even High School Musical: The Ice Tour.
      For the reunion, the cast headed back to high school for a special showing of the movie. Along with the movie, cast mates shared memories of being a part of High School Musical. This came with hilarious audition tapes, lots of laughter, and emotional moments. What was a very fun add in to the special was when the stars shared their favorite scenes from the movie. Bleu said his favorite scene was when he was wearing a ton of watches. Coleman followed by saying her favorite scene was when Chad (Corbin Bleu) asked Taylor (Monique Coleman) out during the “We’re all in This Together”.  Hudgens said her favorite scenes all took place when they filmed on the rooftop, “There is something about how magical it felt that made it feel really special.” Grabeel said his favorite scenes were when Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) would do their warmups. In the end the whole cast agreed that they knew that they were going to be a part of something special from day one, but the fans are what brought them to this point.
      While Efron could not make the reunion in person, he sent a message to his fans via video. In his taped message he talked about what his favorite scene was. “Hey guys, I am so sorry that I could not be there in person, but I am with you all in spirit. My favorite scene in the movie has to be “We’re all in This Together”. The unity, the whole cast in that moment was just really, really fun. I will never forget that day. It’s embedded in my mind as one of the most beautiful days of my entire life.” He then added, “Thank you for being a part of this huge High School Musical extravaganza. It’s become the coolest thing that I have ever been a part of.” However, fans were still quite upset with Efron, despite the heartfelt message. Questions stirred as to why he was not able to attend. Did it have to do something with Hudgens or was he simply unavailable? It turns out to be a little bit of both. Although High School Musical was the movie that brought these two together, they had no interest of celebrating the movie’s anniversary in the same place. Since their breakup, the pair have not been on great terms. Luckily for Hudgens, Efron simply could not make the reunion. However, High School Musical fans were not pleased with Efron! Fans took twitter and other forms of social media to express their frustration. Fans felt that a High School Musical reunion is not complete without Troy Bolton.
      Overall, the love for the movie and its well written message still captures hearts from all over the world. After all, we are still all in this together.