If you don’t have minors in your house you probably have never even heard of ‘High School Musical’, but for anyone under 18 it’s the next big thing. The original was a made-for-tv movie on the Disney Channel, and quickly became the most watched thing in the channel’s history. The soundtrack was the top selling CD of 2006. It later came out on DVD, and made something like, a zillion dollars in sales, proof that the world was a better place when kids weren’t allowed to have money.
So for Disney, this is their current cash cow and they’re making more of it. ‘High School Musical 2’ is already planned for the Disney Channel this summer, and now they’ve announced that there will be a theatrical version as well. A movie called Haunted High School Musical.
The original is a musical about two high school stereotypes (a jock and a nerd) who try out for leads in their high school musical. They persist in the face of adversity to win their place in amateur stage stardom. It’s the pop songs and the easy to understand, familiar character types that sell it. That last sentence just made me really depressed. Presumably the Haunted High School Musical movie will be like the TV version, except, well, haunted. Look for it in 2008.
Meanwhile, Disney is taking this sucker global. Reuter says they’re also working on a Bollywood version of the movie to suck in Indian audiences. Should be an easy fit, since Bollywood is already all about music and dancing.
