We all may have related to the awkwardness of Troy and Gabriella in the beginning scene of “High School Musical” when they were forced to be at a party full of strangers, but the one thing we did not relate to was the “High School Musical” experience.
Disney Channel did a great job of romanticizing the high school experience that “this was nothing like “High School Musical” has become a popular senior quote. Despite the false narrative about the high school experience, this childhood classic still holds up today, paving the way for our favorite childhood stars into other movies and franchises.
“High School Musical” is a movie about two teens, Troy and Gabriella, who fall in love while discovering new things about themselves. Troy was the king of the basketball court and Gabriella was the “freaky genius” new girl. Together they were easing their way into the musical theater world. Everyone around them tried to discourage their plans, they even tried to sabotage them. The couple finally defied the odds and were given the opportunity to perform in the school musical’s callbacks.
Although we did not have the same high school experience as the characters from the movie we were able to learn certain life lessons from them. The two big takeaways I got from this movie were not to be supportive and to try new things because you never know what you are going to like.
From the mathetes to the basketball jocks, “High School Musical” had a representative from most stereotypical high school cliques and in the beginning, they behaved in an non-inclusive manner. Once Troy and Gabriella admitted to their friends about their interest in musical theater, their fellow peers began confessing their secret passions, which happened to be frowned upon. Troy and Gabriella had to take a step in the other direction to prove to their classmates that it is fine to have other hobbies. We shouldn’t feel pressured from the people around us to do the things we love. One person stepping forward helps give the people around them the confidence to do the same thing.
“High School Musical” is a staple of our childhood. If you are looking for a movie filled with romance, slight action, comedy, drama, and a great musical selection then this would be the movie for you.