The ensemble cast and director of High school musical revisited the franchise 20 years later.
For those who don’t know, the 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega starred top actors such as Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu and others.
In conversation with PEOPLE magazine, Ortega looked back on the franchise in the print edition, on newsstands now, and said: “When we were filming the grand finale [“We’re All In This Together’].
She added, “I took my eyes off the monitor and took in the whole room and I thought, ‘My God, if Disney Marketing does the work we’re doing in this room today, we’ve got a juggernaut.'”
High school musical became a huge hit after premiering on Disney Channel on January 20, 2006. It attracted 7.7 million viewers during its premiere broadcast and the soundtrack remained number one on the Billboard 200 for more than 100 weeks.
It also led to merchandise, a successful concert tour, a TV series and two sequels, and helped aspiring actors land more lucrative opportunities.
Efron, who played Troy Bolton in the film, told the same publisher: “I was so young when we made High School Musical, and it was just an amazing experience.”
He added: “We had fun, learned along the way and honestly just enjoyed every moment together. I never could have imagined that 20 years later it would still mean so much to people, or that a whole new generation would connect with it, and I’m grateful for that.”
It is pertinent to mention that Zac Efron was 18 years old when he played Bolton High school musical.
