Disney Returns to High School

I admit, I watched High School Musical 2. Despite the oversaturated glare from color editing, abrupt transitions to song & dance, cliched villainess and talent show plot, and a scene with poor juxtaposition of baseball with dancing, I enjoyed it. High school never came in such fake rosy (magenta) packaging and romance; but romance, spectacle, or comedy is what we expect from musicals--an escape. Here the faces are fresh, choreographs are polished, and songs are radio ready. The Village Voice has a review with spoilers.

If you missed the crazy amount of media buzz generated, it's a Disney made-for-TV movie. The last two weeks saw a sudden rush of media outlets featuring HSM. Who is this unknown on the cover of Rolling Stones? I guess he's become somebody...good business. The first movie generated $100mil in merchandise (highest selling CD in 2006) and so Disney tripled the production cost of the sequel and it shows.