High School Musical - why all the hype?!

[Bebopgroove]

What's all this buzz over a DCOM?? I've always thought DCOM's to be profit-makers for the channel, and cheap entertainment for the younger generation (sorry, I have a huge dislike towards DCOMs). I don't watch it now, but when I was younger (late 90s), the DCOMs weren't all that great. I never really found anything outstanding about them. The Zenon movies, Tru (sp?) Confessions, the one about the dolphin (which I can't remember the name), and a million others that I can't remember the titles - all of them seemed pretty pointless.

Now I'm hearing all this hype over "High School Musical" (both the movie and soundtrack). I read the synopsis, and to me, it sounded like another lame one from the Disney Channel (again, sorry for negativity). Is it that it takes place in a high school? Can somebody fill me in on the reason for this DCOM's greatness??

And I am now an official enemy of the Disney Channel. Gah, I miss the good 'ol days.

[numba1lostboy]

Well, to start, the movie title you're looking for is A Ring Of Endless Light.

I agree with you that some of the DCOMs are pointless. Some that I've felt like this towards are:

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off
Z3
Stepsister From Planet Wierd
Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire
That one with the dog and Kyle Massey...Life Is Ruff?
Luck Of The Irish
Cadet Kelly
Even Stevens Movie (never liked the show either)

But they get made because, well, we really don't know, do we...but we accept them and hope that the next one will be better...which, usually, they are, IMO.
Some I have liked are:

Zenon
Zenon 2
Jett Jackson Movie
Jumping Ship
Pixel Perfect
Halloweentown
Halloweentown High
Cheetah Girls
You Lucky Dog
The Color of Friendship
The Thirteenth Year
...and yes, High School Musical

The big deal with High School Musical is that, when it premiered, it was the highest rated family show on that night, and the highest rated DCOM in a very long while.
Did you really expect Disney to pass up an opertunity to milk this DCOM for all its worth? Since its premiere in January, HSM has been shown over and over and over and is still being advertised to be shown again soon with a new sing along feature.
There's also been a greenlight on a sequel.

I personally enjoyed this DCOM for what is was worth. The songs were decent (except that craptastic basketball number...drove me CRAZY!!), and the acting and singing was really good.

I wouldn't give up on DCOMs just yet. Give HSM a chance. Watch it, and then place judgement.

[The Lizard King]

Now I'm hearing all this hype over "High School Musical" (both the movie and soundtrack). I read the synopsis, and to me, it sounded like another lame one from the Disney Channel (again, sorry for negativity).

I thought that it was pretty lame, BUT my kids thought that it was the best thing since Freaky Friday (the remake). I donut get it at all, either.

TLK

[Karushifa]

And I am now an official enemy of the Disney Channel. Gah, I miss the good 'ol days.

DCOMs don't bother me quite as much as Jetix, the animation block that basically killed classic Disney Afternoon shows on Toon Disney. Anyone who would prefer Super Duper Ultra Mega Hyper Cyber Phi Beta Kappa Robot Monkey Team Go Force, etc. to quality fare like Talespin, Aladdin and Ducktales needs to have their heads checked.

[numba1lostboy]

And I am now an official enemy of the Disney Channel. Gah, I miss the good 'ol days.

DCOMs don't bother me quite as much as Jetix, the animation block that basically killed classic Disney Afternoon shows on Toon Disney. Anyone who would prefer Super Duper Ultra Mega Hyper Cyber Phi Beta Kappa Robot Monkey Team Go Force, etc. to quality fare like Talespin, Aladdin and Ducktales needs to have their heads checked.

Here Here!!! Bring back the golden oldies!!! Or at least put them on DVD!!

But I don't mind W.I.T.C.H. so much. That's a cool show.

[kbehm29]

My kids think it's the best thing ever.
Even I was sort of sucked into it when I started watching it for the first time.
They (boys, mind you) sing all the songs as they're skating or riding their bikes outside.

It's the music...I tell you. They are counting down the days to the DVD, and have already worn their CD out!

[Bebopgroove]

Hmmm...if it's as good as everyone says it is, I may have to watch a little bit. It's beginning to sound a little interesting.

[MickeyMousePal]

Maybe it's the fact that Disney had a musical hit on television.

[Robin Hood]

I don't know why this movie is popular either. Everyone I talk to (not on the UD forums) thinks it's a lame movie.

[Fidget1234]

And I am now an official enemy of the Disney Channel. Gah, I miss the good 'ol days.

DCOMs don't bother me quite as much as Jetix, the animation block that basically killed classic Disney Afternoon shows on Toon Disney. Anyone who would prefer Super Duper Ultra Mega Hyper Cyber Phi Beta Kappa Robot Monkey Team Go Force, etc. to quality fare like Talespin, Aladdin and Ducktales needs to have their heads checked.

wouldnt it be nice if there was a disney channel that played nothing but classic disney toons from the earliest years til the 90s and nothing but the classic disney movies- live action & animated... back when u had to pay for disney channel- this is what u got...so not into this whole jet-ix thing...

[JiminyCrick91]

I have wondered if it was good after all the online hype. But I missed the canadian airings. So perhaps I should rent the disc.

[Karushifa]

wouldnt it be nice if there was a disney channel that played nothing but classic disney toons from the earliest years til the 90s and nothing but the classic disney movies- live action & animated... back when u had to pay for disney channel- this is what u got...so not into this whole jet-ix thing...

YES, it would be VERY nice indeed.

I think this was Cartoon Network's rationale for creating their spin-off channel Boomerang...their schedules were getting so clogged with new material between original shows and Adult Swim that a lot of classic shows and shorts were getting squeezed out. Thus Boomerang's programming is made up of older stuff like Hanna-Barbara shows and Warner Brothers/Tex Avery/Popeye shorts. It's really a great channel if you like old school animation, and it's commercial-free!

[Artlad]

I too was wondering what all the fuss was about so i watched it the other day.
just as I thought. it was crap.


But really catchy crap.

I mean geeze, i found myself singing the songs the next day.


Then I actually went back and watched it again!!!

CURSE you Disney!!! You've sucked me into your vortex of black magic and mayhem!!!!

[MinnieMe]

Hmmm...if it's as good as everyone says it is, I may have to watch a little bit. It's beginning to sound a little interesting.

That's what I thought so I sat through the whole damn thing the second or third time it aired because of all the hype... and UGH. I wasted two precious hours of my life where I could have been watching something better... like... well, anything would have been better. Heck I'd rather watch a marathon of Elimidate than watch that movie again

I guess that maybe if I was 10 years old it would have been different. I had seen a lot of 20 somethings and older raving about it on here so I thought I might like it... different strokes for different folks I guess. It just grated on my nerves, but at least I can honestly say that it's lame rather than those who think it's lame from the previews.

Although they even had the kids from it (the Zach guy and I think the irritating mean blonde girl) on TRL the other day. Although it does seem like the average audience for TRL is 12 or 13 anyway... who knows... but for some reason- kids go gaga over this movie!

[humphreybear]

its Grease for a new generation

[Escapay]

its Grease for a new generation

With a much SAFER message!

Grease - Nice girls should change for the worse to get their guy (a nice cleancut Aussie girl to leatherclad chainsmoking biker chick)

High School Musical - It's okay if a jock can sing. Really, it is.

Anyways, as someone who truly truly despises this film (except for Ryan and Sharpay and again I ask, WHAT KIND OF NAME IS SHARPAY??), I can't understand what kind of subliminal mind control they put in the film to make kids like it, but if we looked at it as just a regular successful musical, we can see:

1. It's got pretty faces - When you're a kid, even if you're a plain jane, someone will still think you're cute. Naturally, this film is pretty face after pretty face.

2. It's got hummable songs - Never mind that the actual lyrics suck, but the music is pretty easy to remember. Even the abysmal "Getcha head in the game".

3. It gives a rose-colored look at high school - kids like to look up to their older siblings, anyone older than them. This gives them a very sanitized look at high school, complete with dance sequences during lunch and happy endings for all.

4. Dancing - Thanks to the "dance-a-long" version, HSM offers what other musicals don't, a true chance to learn the relatively simple steps. Come on, when have you ever seen a tutorial for Cell Block Tango (Chicago)?

Escapay

[magicalwands]

3. It gives a rose-colored look at high school - kids like to look up to their older siblings, anyone older than them. This gives them a very sanitized look at high school, complete with dance sequences during lunch and happy endings for all.

My cousin told me after her little brother watched HSM, he actually asked if that's how high school life is where people sing and dance. Alas, if only it was!

[Escapay]

3. It gives a rose-colored look at high school - kids like to look up to their older siblings, anyone older than them. This gives them a very sanitized look at high school, complete with dance sequences during lunch and happy endings for all.

My cousin told me after her little brother watched HSM, he actually asked if that's how high school life is where people sing and dance. Alas, if only it was!

I would have definitely enjoyed high school a lot more if it were anything like HSM. The multi-level cafeteria looks so damn cool.

Escapay

[DaveWadding]

Anyways, as someone who truly truly despises this film (except for Ryan and Sharpay and again I ask, WHAT KIND OF NAME IS SHARPAY??)

Escapay

Well, what kind of name is "Escapay"? what kind of name is anyname at all? "A rose by any other name..." you know.

And besides, think about it...if she came to post here, she could be Escasharpay

[Escapay]

Anyways, as someone who truly truly despises this film (except for Ryan and Sharpay and again I ask, WHAT KIND OF NAME IS SHARPAY??)

Escapay

Well, what kind of name is "Escapay"? what kind of name is anyname at all? "A rose by any other name..." you know.

And besides, think about it...if she came to post here, she could be Escasharpay

Well, my name is derived from Dory-speak for escape, whereas Sharpay seems to be drived from...Dory-speak for a permanent marker?

But honestly, I never heard the name Sharpay before...it's like when you hear a celebrity name like Apple or Moses, or the more extreme ones like Moon Unit, Fifi Trixibelle, Satchel, Daisy Boo, Rumer, Peaches, River (pretty normal), Rocco (hardly used these days), Nell Marmalade, Maddox, Tiger Lily Heavenly Hirani, Dweezil, Brooklyn, Eugenie, Zowie, Rolan, Phoenix Chi, Coco, Romeo, Kal-El, Rocket, Atlanta, Speck, Sistine, Banjo, Scout, Tallulah Belle, Audio Science, Pilot Inspektor, Indiana August, Peaches Honeyblossom, Moxie Crimefighter, Jermajesty, Poppy Honey, Steveanna, Aquinnah, Kafka, Rolen, Yashi, Barron William, Vaughn Wyatt, Byron Buster, Cadon AJ, True Fisher-Duddy, Ace Shane, Alabama Luella, Alabama Zoe, Misty Kyd, Geronimo, Dandelion, Elijah Bob Patricious Guggi Q, Rufus Tiger, Octavia, Auden, Owen Strausser, Shepherd Kellen, Poet Sienna Rose, Luna Coco, Avalon Leon, Messiah Lauren, Quinlin Dempsey, Crew James, etc.

Escapay