High School Musical 2 [Extended Edition]

Director: Kenny Ortega Kenny Ortega

Overview

The musical fun continues in director Kenny Ortega's sequel to the 2006 Disney Channel hit.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/11/2007
UPC:	0786936740370
Original Release:	2007
Rating:	TV-G
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:51:00

Special Features

Includes exclusive music scene; Sing along feature; Backstage Disney: Rehearsal cam - Watch the dance rehearsal footage along with the movie; Music & more: High school karaoke - Sing the lead vocals with help from optional on-screen lyrics; Music videos

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Zac Efron	Troy Bolton
Vanessa Hudgens	Gabriella Montez,Actor
Ashley Tisdale	Sharpay Evans
Lucas Grabeel	Ryan Evans
Corbin Bleu	Chad Danforth
Monique Coleman	Taylor McKessie
Alyson Reed	Ms. Darbus
Chris Warren Jr.	Zeke
Bart Johnson	Coach Bolton
Olesya Rulin	Kelsi
Ryne Sanborn	Jason Cross
Mark Taylor	Mr. Fulton,Mr. Fulton
KayCee Stroh	Martha Cox
Jessica Tuck	Actor
Chris Warren	Zeke Baylor
Robert Curtis Brown	Vance Evans
Tanya Chisholm	Jackie
Miley Cyrus	Girl at Pool
Kelli Baker	Lea,Principal Dancer
McCall Clark	Emma
Leslie Wing	Mrs. Bolton
Jaymz Tuaileva	Javier/Principal Dancer
Annette Wright	Mrs. Hoffenfeffer
K. Danor Gerald	Player
Charan Prabhakar	Assistant Pro
Dave Fox	Coach Reynolds
David Nibley	Man #2
Charles Hajek	Valet
Manly Ortega	Dog Boi
Charles Klapow	Principal Dancer
Robert Curtis-Brown	Actor
David Lawrence	Composer

Technical Credits

Peter Barsocchini

Kenny Ortega	Director
Peter Barsocchini	Screenwriter
Bill Borden	Executive Producer,Producer
Barry Rosenbush	Executive Producer
Don Schain	Producer
Michael Caplan	Special Effects
Douglas Cameron	Sound Effects
Tim Chilton	Sound Effects
Bob Costanza	Sound Effects
Noel Espinosa	Sound Effects
Mark Friedgen	Sound Effects
Natalie Hart	Casting
Jeff Johnson	Casting
Jason LaPadura	Casting

Editorial Reviews

High School Musical 2 is much slicker than its predecessor, and this works both to the film's advantage and its detriment. On the plus side, the choreographer is much sharper this time around. Many of the early big numbers work like old-school musical numbers from the forties and fifties. The opening set piece, a celebration of summer vacation, showcases the best of what director/choreographer Kenny Ortega can do. The people and the camera move with a kinetic energy that communicates the joy of summer. Spoiled Sharpay's ode to being "Fabulous" joyfully skewers the trendy, flashy fashions surrounding a Paris Hilton wannabe. Where the first film incorporated basketball into a dance, this film has a softball number that ups the ante, pointedly stressing that dancing requires just as much athletic ability as sports. All of these numbers benefit from the bigger budget, and the more assured choreography. Sadly, the blandly generic story makes it a less successful work overall. The story isn't even about a High School Musical; it's about a summer camp talent show performance. So basically the title is now a brand as opposed to a description of the movie. The story, though, boils down to a rather uninspired tale of a boy being tempted away from the girl he loves. The first film, with its message of never being afraid to be who you are even if it means doing things your friends don't expect, offered a satisfying tale of self-respect and self-discovery. This time around the story seems to be getting in the way of the songs instead of being their reason for existing. High School Musical 2 offers many more winning individual moments than the film that inspired it, but the first movie works better as a whole.