'High School Musical 3 - Senior Year' Film Review

Article originally published 10/24/2008 at popculturezoo.com

by Sonia Clark

For the past couple years, Disney’s High School Musical films have become an institution among the young and impressionable ‘Hannah Montana’ crowd. For better or worse, the kids of East High have become this generation’s Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies. As the mother of an enthusiastic and rambunctious 9-year-old, I know just about everything having to do with High School Musical. I know all of the characters names, I can recognize all the songs and I even know who is dating who in real life. Therefore, I was deemed the most qualified person to take the little lady to see High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

You have to hand it to Disney, they certainly understand their target audience. The third installment in this series (and the first film to get a theatrical release) plays out pretty much like you would expect. It’s senior year for our favorite Wildcats and it becomes apparent that we all have a lot of growing up to do in the next two hours. There is a championship to win and a prom to plan. These are coupled with the sobering reality that the paths of Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay and the rest of the gang are about to head in very different directions.

Also, let’s not forget about the annual East High spring musical. The crew gets pulled into planning for the event thanks to Kelsi, who takes the liberty of signing everyone up for it. This does not go over to well with the gang, who clearly want to relax and enjoy their senior year. Though, in true HSM fashion, a heart-wrenching speech is given about this being the group’s last year together and the need to “go out with a bang.” Go Team!!

Overall, High School Musical 3 has a beautiful cast, a well put together wardrobe and (what seemed to me) a larger collection of well-choreographed song numbers. I found the song and dance sections of the film to be quite a bit different in the third movie than in the previous ones. This time, there was more emphasis on the props and coordinated sequences, much like a traditional Broadway production… or even a Frank Sinatra movie! Beyond this, the film played out much the way I expected, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The most important thing was that the 9-year-old loved it. Target demographic reached. Mission accomplished Disney.