Ranking the High School Musical Movies

My ranking of the HSM franchise (ignoring the various spin-offs) is probably one of my most controversial opinions. If you read my other blogs, you know I have an older sister named Allison. She is 23 now. Therefore, she was between five and eight years old when the HSM franchise was released. As such, she was in the target market of Disney Channel Original Movie audiences. She loved those movies, and because we lived in the same house I grew to love them too.

Before I get into the ranking, I have an HSM-themed Two Truths and a Lie for you to play in the comments.

1. Allison and I met the actor for Chad (Corbin Bleu). She sold him Girl Scout cookies and I (impromptu) performed one of the movie’s songs for him.
2. My family owns a pink blanket with the entirety of the main HSM cast’s faces on it.
3. I watched the full movie series at various points throughout my senior year, culminating in HSM 3 just before graduation. Tears were shed.

Now, to the ranking:

3. High School Musical (2006)

Before you come at me, I promise I have reasoning for this. The original HSM movie is great, but not in the same way as the other two. Its main appeal is the fact that it is the original movie. But when you step back from the overall picture, the movie is insanely inconsequential. You meet the main cast. People fight over breaking the “Status Quo” (trust me, there is a whole musical number dedicated to this), Troy and Gabriela flirt, break up, and get back together, Sharpay and Ryan throw a fuss over the fact that Troy and Gabriela get callbacks, and more. It’s entertaining. But the second you step back from being fascinated with the movie, you realize all this drama wasn’t even for the ACTUAL MUSICAL. It was just for the callbacks for the main characters to get cast in a musical called “Twinkle Town,” with a side plot about a championship basketball game.

2. High School Musical 2 (2007)

HSM 2 is iconic. A lot of people would put this one in the top spot, since stakes skyrocket from the first movie. The characters all work at a country club owned by Sharpay and Ryan’s family, where drama promptly occurs. Sharpay constantly vies for Troy’s attention by offering him college connections, money, and better job positions. Ryan finds himself left behind, seeking other ways to stand out away from his sister. Gabriella and the other friends struggle to embrace all the changes they’re seeing in Troy, as he shifts his focus from being a good friend to maximizing his life opportunities. This movie has a few excellent musical numbers too, namely “I Don’t Dance,” “Work This Out,” and “Fabulous.”

3. High School Musical 3 (2008)

My favorite scenes and songs of the whole series are in this movie. From the beginning, where Troy and Gabriella dance in the pouring rain in their own little rooftop Eden, to the song about childhood bonds and fantasies in a car junkyard, this movie has some of the best emotional moments in the whole series. It follows the main characters through their senior year, as they grapple with the fact that life as they know it is changing forever. Their best friends are splitting up, everyone has to decide what they’re doing with their lives, and nobody is ready for those changes. This movie takes the top spot due to its significant budget increase, top-tier musical numbers, and unexpected emotional poignancy.

Picture source: https://krindribblings.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/gaybasketball.jpg

(Taken from High School Musical (2006))