I am an adult; it is true that he is not a “teenager” or “tweener”. Still, it’s hard to avoid all the hype about the debut of the new Disney movie “High School Musical 2” this Friday on the Disney Channel. When the original High School Musical came out early last year, it became an industry hit movie. Not many people, in advance, could have predicted the influence this movie had on the entire United States. Unlike most movies that, when reissued on television, their Neilson ratings decline over time, “High School Musical” was not the case. In fact, the ratings grew with each broadcast on the Disney channel.
In fact, much like the phenomenon in the movie “Titanic” in the late 1990s, when teenagers (especially girls) flocked to the theater to see Leonardo DiCaprio repeatedly, many children have seen “High School Musical. ” and again. Disney even began streaming the film with the lyrics to the song appearing on screen so viewers could sing along to the music. It also allowed the film’s two lead actors (Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, pictured above) to become idols for teen fans across America. In fact, Efron appeared in another hit musical this summer, “Hairspray,” and I’m sure a lot of girls between the ages of 14 and 18 went to the movie just to see Mr. Efron.
Another actress from the film, Ashley Tisdale, (who is known for her appearance on the Disney television show “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody”) released her debut solo album. The CD “High School Musical” grossed the most sales of any album released last year in this country. Disney broke the bank by selling clothes, videos, toys and dolls bought by “tweener” fans of the movie. High school music programs across the United States produced theatrical performances of this film. Who would have “thought” it, as the saying goes?
In reality, with the power, influence and influence that the Disney network has, especially with children under 14 years of age; It is perhaps not so surprising that the “High School Musical” phenomenon has spread like a virus across the country. Disney is known for producing movies suitable for children. Parents don’t have to worry about their kids seeing something on the web that might be embarrassing; Graphic language, even the innuendo of sex, racy dialogue, violence, etc., are strictly off limits, naturally on the net. The original theme for “High School Musical,” which fused the influences of music, sports, dance, and an adult-rated love story between two high school boys, had a very important message that everyone can relate to.
This message was that if you have a dream in life, don’t let anything stop you from striving to achieve those dreams. Zac Efron’s character was a star basketball player for his school team. His father was the coach of the team and demanded his son in his athletic activities. But Efron’s character also longed to sing and be in the annual high school music production. The young man was even willing to put his position as a character in the musical production ahead of his role on the basketball team; much to the chagrin of his parent / coach. I think the message was that a person, (a 16-year-old high school student in this case) has to believe both in himself (or herself) and be willing to follow his dreams); without being swayed or selfishly influenced by others.
As I said earlier, it was interesting to note how the original “High School Musical” movie was so influential, even among high school students in this country. In an era where many high school kids throughout this decade have been known to be fans of rap and hip-hop (along with their profane lyrics and degradation of women), USA Today newspaper published several weeks ago. a front page story. about the Disney musical / movie. This article discussed the positive influence the film had generated in America, and how the original CD released last year had overshadowed the sales of all other rap and similar music in that genre. In fact, rap albums released during 2006 had dropped substantially, as many high school-age children chose to invest their money in an album from a Disney movie. I hope I’m not naive in believing that maybe teenage boys are sending a message to the “50 cents” of the world. The message is that many teens ages 12-17 are suddenly turned off by adult-rated rap, foul-mouthed lyrics, and music that portrays women as sex objects; and that these women are used and abused by men.
That’s why I say: Go “High School Musical” !! Even as an adult, I will probably have my television tuned to the Disney Channel this Friday at 8pm. – when the movie “High School Musical 2” is released. You would see him anytime during a rap concert where the featured artist spits out all the swear words known to mankind while performing his songs!
