High School Musical 2

High School Musical 2

The Official Poster
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Produced by Bill Borden
Kenny Ortega
Written by Peter Mouseey
Starring Zac Efron
Vanessa Hudgens
Ashley Tisdale
Lucas Grabeel
Corbin Bleu
Monique Coleman
Music by Randy Peterson
Antonnia Armato
Andy Dodd
Faye Greenberg
Jamie Houston
David Lawrence
Adam Watts
Matt Gerrard
Kevin Quinn
Robbie Nevil
Shankar Mahadevan[1]
Distributed by Disney Channel
Release date(s) August 17, 2007
Running time Original cut
105 min
Extended cut
115 min.
Country
Language English
Budget $7 million [2]
Preceded by High School Musical (2006)
Followed by High School Musical 3 (2008)
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile
For the soundtrack, see High School Musical 2 (soundtrack).High School Musical 2

The Official Poster
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Produced by Bill Borden
Kenny Ortega
Written by Peter Mouseey
Starring Zac Efron
Vanessa Hudgens
Ashley Tisdale
Lucas Grabeel
Corbin Bleu
Monique Coleman
Music by Randy Peterson
Antonnia Armato
Andy Dodd
Faye Greenberg
Jamie Houston
David Lawrence
Adam Watts
Matt Gerrard
Kevin Quinn
Robbie Nevil
Shankar Mahadevan[1]
Distributed by Disney Channel
Release date(s) August 17, 2007
Running time Original cut
105 min
Extended cut
115 min.
Country
Language English
Budget $7 million [2]
Preceded by High School Musical (2006)
Followed by High School Musical 3 (2008)
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile


High School Musical 2 is the sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical. It debuted on August 17, 2007 on the US Disney Channel and Family Channel. The premiere brought in a total of 17.2 million viewers in the United States - almost 10 million more than its predecessor - making it the highest rated basic cable broadcast in U.S. history. The premiere brought in a total of 17.5 million viewers in Asia - almost 9 million viewers in the Philippines - making it the highest rated international cable broadcast in Asia.[3]Plot

The summer brings excitement to the East High Wildcats as they go over their plans for their break from school. Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) stresses over getting a job with the price of college looming on his mind, as well as trying to make sure he and Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) are able to stay together all summer. The final bell rings and the students emerge and sing (What Time Is It). As a symbol of his feelings for her, Troy gives Gabriella a necklace with his initial "T" on it on the last day of school. Sharpay and Ryan Evans (Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel) plan on spending the summer at their family's country club, Lava Springs (Fabulous). However, Sharpay's summer plan also includes breaking up Troy and Gabriella by getting Troy hired at Lava Springs and making her move on him. But what Sharpay does not plan on is Troy talking to the club's manager, Mr. Fulton (Mark L. Taylor), into hiring Gabriella and their close group of friends: this includes Gabriella's best friend Taylor (Monique Coleman), and Troy's best friend Chad (Corbin Bleu). Fulton is unable to fire the Wildcats at Sharpay's command, since her mother (Jessica Tuck) approved their hiring, so she orders him to make them want to quit. Fulton exerts his powers of intimidation upon explaining their place at the club. Seeing his friends are intimidated ad unconfident, Troy offers to help his friends working in the kitchen and convinces them that they can work their hardships out (Work This Out).

While Troy continues to worry about obtaining a college scholarship, Gabriella is simply thrilled to be in one place over the summer; the first time in her life where she doesn't move to a new city. Sharpay schemes harder than ever to make the Wildcats miserable, and win Troy, who has to choose between two worlds: his own with the Wildcats and Gabriella, or another where Sharpay's family can offer him a way to college and other luxuries he has only dreamed about. Meanwhile Kelsi, inspired by their relationship, writes a ballad for Troy and Gabriella, and Troy agrees to sing with his friends in the upcoming talent show (You Are the Music in Me). Sharpay conspires to get Troy to perform alongside for the show and holding his future over his head. She takes Kelsi's song away, speeds up the tempo and forces him to sing it with her. A visit from a fellow college basketball team, the Red Hawks, causes a rift between Troy and Chad when Troy chooses to spend time with the Red Hawks instead of his friends, alienating especially Chad. As Troy grows further away from what was formerly his, Ryan realizes he does't mean much to Sharpay anymore. Taylor and Gabriella even invite Ryan to the baseball game, and Chad offers him Troy's place in the game (I Don't Dance). Troy and Gabriella's relationship is silently strained to the breaking point when Troy sees Ryan with Gabriella, sparking a little jealousy. Troy's relationship with Chad is tentative, as the latter feels Troy is abandoning him as well as the rest of his friends. Despite that, Troy & Sharpay then practice their song for the Star Dazzle Show (You Are the Music in Me (Sharpay Version)).

When Sharpay discovers that Ryan and the Wildcats are putting together their own performance in the show, she finally crosses the line by banning the Wildcats from performing in Lava Springs' annual Star Dazzle Talent Show, even though Ryan has been working with the group to put together a performance. Gabriella confronts Sharpay. She makes it clear that she refuses to play Sharpay's "game," and quits her job at Lava Springs. Troy overhears the exchange and tries to persuade Gabriella to change her mind. They emotionally sing the song (Gotta Go My Own Way), in which Gabriella expresses her loss of trust with Troy and how she just can't stay while she has a broken heart, and the song ends with her leaving Troy's necklace in his hand and running to her car crying, and our heartbroken protagonist walking back towards the country club...alone. Shortly after, he has a discussion about this with his dad, who remains supportive of his son.

Troy returns to work the next day to find that all his friends refuse to talk to him, but Kelsi shows Troy the letter from Fulton. Troy becomes fed up with the downhill events that are occuring for the people he loves (Bet on It), and goes to tentatively reconcile with Chad. Troy confronts Sharpay and tells her that he won't sing with her because of how she treated his friends, causing Sharpay to burst into tears. The Wildcats later convince Troy to sing in the talent show, which he does only under the condition that they are allowed to perform as well. Ryan gives Troy a new song (Everyday) to learn moments before the show, saying that Sharpay wants to do to this song instead. As Troy goes onstage, he asks Sharpay why she switched the song and Sharpay is shocked to find that her brother tricked her. Troy sings alone until Gabriella arrives just in time to sing with him, which shows us an extremely shocked Troy, and all the Wildcats join near the end of the song on stage. In the end, Sharpay herself proudly presents her brother Ryan with the award for the talent show. After the talent show, the Wildcats (including Ryan and Sharpay) all head out onto the golf course to enjoy the fireworks. Troy and Gabriella finally share their first kiss, after many failed attempts, and the summer ends with a pool party and the Wildcats' celebration of a great summer together (All for One).

[edit]
Characters
Troy Bolton (portrayed by Zac Efron) is the male protagonist of the movie. He is the most popular guy at East High School and captain of the varsity basketball team. He is in a relationship with Gabriella Montez. They met at a ski lodge while attending a New Years Eve teen party in High School Musical and were called on stage to sing a duet together. They exchanged cell numbers and Gabriella later moved to Albuquerque with her mother, surprising Troy when she arrives at his school. Along with most of East High, he takes a summer job at Lava Springs, the country club owned by Sharpay and Ryan Evans' parents. Over the summer, he gets new opportunities to go to a great college and easily obtain a basketball scholarship, but this causes jealousy in his best friend, Chad Danforth, and Gabriella starts to worry that he has forgotten about his friends. He is also friends with Jason and Zeke.
Gabriella Montez (portrayed by Vanessa Hudgens) is the female protagonist of the movie. She is a smart girl who took part in East High's Scholastic Decathlon in the first film. Known as the "freaky math girl" in her old schools, she appears shy and intelligent but finds a new popularity for herself at East High. She is in a relationship with Troy Bolton. Along with most of East High, she takes a summer job at Lava Springs as a lifeguard, the country club owned by Sharpay and Ryan Evans' parents. As the summer progresses, she feels that Troy has become a different person when he gets new opportunities with his promotion. The pair briefly split up but quickly reconcile. Her best friend is Taylor McKessie. She is also friends with Kelsi and Martha.
Sharpay Evans (portrayed by Ashley Tisdale) is the antagonist of the film. She plans to spend the summer lounging around her parents' country club, Lava Springs and winning that country club's midsummer talent show back-to-back. She has a noticeable crush on Troy Bolton and is always trying to steal him away from Gabriella. Her plan is taken to a whole new notch when she promotes Troy to honorary member and cancels the Wildcats' performance in the talent show. This is all because she thinks that Troy and Gabriella together could spoil her show just as the pair previously beat her and her brother out to star in the lead roles for the Winter Musical of "Twinkle Town".
Ryan Evans (portrayed by Lucas Grabeel) is Sharpay's fraternal twin brother, who is stuck in being a antagonist, and a male protagonist. Throughout the movies we see that he owes his total devotion to Sharpay to his utter stupidity; In High School Musical 1, he is unable to read the word 'Drama'. He can be very sneaky and cunning but has a hard time keeping up with schemes that are not his own. Over the course of the film, he finds his own person and abandons his place as Sharpay's lackey, becoming friends with the Wildcats. He also has a secret crush on Gabriella. In HSM3, Ryan would have a crush on Tiffany Hansen (portrayed by Blake Lively)
Chad Danforth (portrayed by Corbin Bleu) is Troy's best friend and is also friends with Jason and Zeke. He has a summer job at Lava Springs as a waiter and part-time golf caddie and is saving the money from his job to get a car to impress Taylor, whom he appears to be in a relationship with. After Troy gets promoted, he becomes jealous and begins to drift away from him but they make up near the end.
Taylor McKessie (portrayed by Monique Coleman) is Gabriella's best friend. She is captain of the school Scholastic Decathlon team and seems to be just as intelligent in math and science. She has a summer job at Lava Springs as an Activities Coordinator. She always sees through Sharpay and tends to be cynical when it comes to boys. This cynicism appears to have lessened since she and Chad began dating and she is friends with Martha and Kelsi.