‘High School Musical’ Turns 20: How the Disney Channel Phenomenon Became the Blueprint for Music-Driven, Global Franchises

When the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical premiered on January 20, 2006, it ushered in the start of something new — a wave of music-driven film franchises that would define childhoods, mint superstars, and inspire audiences all around the world.

Directed by Disney Legend Kenny Ortega, the movie starred Zac Efron as Troy Bolton, Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez, Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans, Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans, Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth, and Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie — all up-and-comers, save for Tisdale, star of Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

In its premiere weekend, High School Musical delivered 7.7 million Total Viewers* in the U.S. — record ratings for the network. Its success extended offscreen, becoming the first-ever TV movie soundtrack to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, as well as the No. 1 album, No. 1 soundtrack, and No. 1 Kids album of 2006. The following year, 18.6 million viewers tuned in for the premiere of High School Musical 2, making it the No. 1 cable TV movie of all time. The sequel’s soundtrack was certified triple platinum. In 2008, Walt Disney Pictures released High School Musical 3: Senior Year theatrically — a franchise first. It broke multiple records and ultimately grossed over $250 million at the global box office.

The franchise continued when the meta mockumentary comedy High School Musical: The Musical: The Series premiered on Disney+ at launch in 2019. Created and executive produced by Tim Federle, it introduced a new generation of megastars: Olivia Rodrigo as Nini Salazar-Roberts, Joshua Bassett as Ricky Bowen, Matt Cornett as E.J. Caswell, Sofia Wylie as Gina Porter, Larry Saperstein as Big Red, Julia Lester as Ashlyn Caswell, Dara Reneé as Kourtney Greene, Frankie Rodriguez as Carlos Rodriguez, and Joe Serafini as Seb Matthew-Smith. Stars from the original films — Bleu, Coleman, Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed, and Kaycee Stroh — also made cameos throughout the series’ four seasons.

Twenty years later, High School Musical remains one of Disney Channel’s most popular franchises — one that continues to attract generations of new viewers, with more than 1.2 billion lifetime hours across streaming and linear.** All three films continue to rank among the top Disney Channel Original Movies on Disney+ in 2025, globally and domestically**. But the numbers only tell part of the story, as High School Musical helped establish Disney’s music-driven model, powering hit franchises such as Descendants (nearly 1 billion hours viewed to date across streaming and linear), in addition to Camp Rock and ZOMBIES.

In celebration of High School Musical‘s 20th anniversary, Disney Branded Television’s Charlie Andrews, EVP, Live Action, and Steven Vincent, SVP, Music and Soundtracks, explain how the franchise’s massive success paved the way for their division to develop more music-driven franchises that span generations and geographies.

No one expected High School Musical to become a global hit when it premiered on Disney Channel in 2006. Why do you think the movie became such a phenomenon?

Charlie Andrews: Gary Marsh [former President of Disney Channels Worldwide] and his team knew how to build stars, and they found the absolute best talent to bring these characters to life. I also think High School Musical was very relatable. What the audience found through these characters were really transcendent coming-of-age experiences of wanting to be who you are. Figuring out how to find your voice and find out who you are through your friendships is so universal. In addition to that, when you tack on incredible music, it brings people together. The songs were so special and so of the moment, and it was one of the most effective ways to drive pop culture and to bring these kids together.

Steven Vincent: It reached you emotionally, but it was also fun and cool. And, of course, it had great music. The songs were so important to people. As I watched the movie go global, I remember thinking, “How is this working just as well in Japan, in India, in Germany?” No matter where they are, teenagers are going through the same types of experiences. The story is about identity: “Who do I want to be? Who are people saying I’m supposed to be?”

Steven, the High School Musical soundtrack features multiple musical genres and styles. Why did you go that route, and how did it open things up to a wider audience?

Steven Vincent: Our audience is very diverse, but the music is only there to help tell the story. As we started working through the script, we knew it would be in part based on the pop music of the day. That felt like a nice entry point for our lead kids. The show within the show was written by Kelsi Nielsen [Olesya Rulin], so a lot of the songs are not full blast with everybody dancing; we start with the piano, because that was her instrument. Because this was about theater kids, it made sense to have some Broadway-sounding songs, like “Stick to the Status Quo” and “Bop to the Top.” What feels like Troy and Gabriella? Mainstream pop music. What feels like Ryan and Sharpay? Showtunes. And then we needed an anthem, and that became “We’re All in this Together.” It stands the test of time.

What’s the secret to creating and growing a franchise like High School Musical?

Charlie Andrews: It’s about meeting audiences where they are, creating authentic portrayals of a teenage experience, and then plussing it up with great music, costumes, spectacle, and wish fulfillment. High School Musical is the perfect combination of all that.

High School Musical made superstars out of its six leads, whose projects spanned films, music, and television. How is Disney setting today’s young stars up for similar success?

Charlie Andrews: If you look at Malachi Barton, he’s blown up in the past year with the Descendants/ZOMBIES: Worlds Collide Tour. He’s going to be a lead in Camp Rock 3 this summer. Right after that, he’s one of the leads in our new series, Coven Academy. As he ages, finding those roles for him to grow up within our ecosystem is so important. And we talk about that with all of our talent, from Malachi and Freya Skye to Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker. It’s always top of mind for us.

Look at Milo Manheim, who just cast as Flynn Rider in the live-action Tangled for the movie studio. We are incredibly proud of him, and we’re so lucky we get to keep him in house and continue in the ZOMBIES franchise. It’s the same with the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, who play a huge part in rebooting the Camp Rock franchise. Oftentimes, when those kids would grow up, they would go elsewhere to find other roles. But now, with Disney+ and Hulu and FX being a part of the same ecosystem, they can continue to grow within. It’s been a real gift for us to be able to keep them within the broader Disney family.

From music and merchandise to concert tours and social media content creation, how does High School Musical serve as a blueprint for how you sustain hit franchises today?

Charlie Andrews: High School Musical proved that when kids truly connect with a story, they want to experience it in every part of their lives. Kids are rewatching the content over and over again on Disney+. The engagement is huge. But it’s not just their love of the movie — it’s their love of the characters and of the actors. It’s an incredible fandom. They are singing the songs on the way to school, after school, during school. They are wearing the costumes from Descendants and ZOMBIES, but they’re also modeling their outfits after what the actors are wearing in real life. It’s all-encompassing.

I brought my 9-year-old niece to the final show of the World’s Collide Tour in Dallas, and it’s so interesting because she is a huge fan of Red, but she’s also been re-watching the first three Descendants movies over and over. It’s one example of how we are constantly bringing in new fans to our franchises because of what Disney+ offers. That’s something we didn’t have before, when you’d have to wait for repeat airings or buy the DVD. With Disney+, we are constantly allowing new generations to discover these amazing movies.

From a strategic point of view, what impact has High School Musical had on Disney Branded Television’s business today

Charlie Andrews: We’re always inspired by all the creatives who brought the franchise to life. When I started here, Ayo Davis [President, Disney Branded Television] said our No. 1 goal was to build the next generation of Disney stars, much like that generation had done for Disney Channel. It’s been really incredible to reboot the Descendants franchise, to pass the baton to the next generation with the ZOMBIES franchise, and to see these incredible kids — like Malachi and Freya, Kylie and Malia — turn into huge stars over the past two years.

And this summer, Liamani Segura will play Red’s little sister, Pink, in Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, and then she plays our female lead in Camp Rock 3. We are really investing in building these kids into stars and building a fandom behind them. That goes all the way back to High School Musical, of course, as well as The Cheetah Girls, Descendants, and ZOMBIES.

From High School Musical to Camp Rock 3, why is Disney uniquely positioned to tell impactful, music-driven stories on a huge global scale?

Charlie Andrews: Music doesn’t just unite teenagers; it brings the entire family together for a shared experience. Whether it’s a Pixar movie, a Walt Disney Animation Studios movie, or an incredible DCOM, music is powerful. Disney does music better than anyone.

Steven Vincent: High School Musical is now one of the jewels in the Disney crown. It’s considered timeless, sitting proudly next to other music classics like Mary Poppins and The Lion King on Disney+. Working with artists to create the next new chapter of the Disney songbook has been awesome. I’m most proud of having made a great impact on kids’ lives. I get to spend every day making positive energy and helping to create stuff that’s going to last forever. Working with young talent, I feel such a responsibility to help them grow. It’s been fun to see so many of them become GRAMMY^®-winning artists, great actors, you name it.