| High School Musical 3: Senior Year | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kenny Ortega |
| Written by | Peter Barsocchini |
| Based on | Characters by Peter Barsocchini |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Daniel Aranyò |
| Edited by | Don Brochu |
| Music by | David Lawrence |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 112 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[2] |
| Box office | $252.9 million[3] |
High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a 2008 Americanteenmusical film directed byKenny Ortega and written byPeter Barsocchini. The sequel toHigh School Musical 2 (2007) and the third installment of theHigh School Musical film series, the film follows Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens), Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale), her twin brother Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel), Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu), and Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman), who are in their final year of high school and face the daunting prospect of being separated as they go off to college. Joined by the rest of their East High classmates, they stage their last spring musical, reflecting their experiences, hopes, and fears about the future.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year was developed immediately following the success of its predecessor. Production returned toUtah for which Disney received a $2 million tax-break incentive, the largest the state has ever given to a film.[4]Principal photography began in May 2008, andWalt Disney Pictures diverted a larger production and marketing budget to accommodate a theatrical release. The production returned to previous filming locationsEast High School andMurray High School, while additional scenes were filmed inLos Angeles.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year premiered in London on October 17, 2008, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 24, making it the only theatrical release in the franchise. Upon release, the film proved to be a moderate critical success, with some critics noting it as an improvement over the previous two installments due to the more emotional tone and themes, while many praised the higher production values. The film was also a commercial success, as it grossed $90.5 million worldwide in its first three days of release, setting a new record for the largest opening weekend for a musical film. Overall, the film grossed $252.9 million worldwide. The film'ssoundtrack was also successful, debuting and peaking at number two on theBillboard 200 in the United States. Aspin-off film,Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure (2011), was releaseddirect-to-video and on television.
East High's Wildcatsbasketball team compete against their long-time rival, the West High Knights, in the final game of the season. At the half, East High is severely losing. However, Troy rallies his teammates and wins the game ("Now or Never"). During the team's celebratory party, Troy and Gabriella discuss their unknown future and the short time they have left at East High.
The next day, at school, Ms. Darbus notices the lack of students signing up for the musical, and Sharpay suggests a one-woman show. Kelsisigns up everyone in homeroom, much to the class' dismay. Ms. Darbus announces that the show will be called "Senior Year", focusing on the future of the graduating seniors, and reveals that Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi, and Troy have all been considered for a scholarship atJuilliard, but only one will be chosen. Sharpay becomes desperate to win and, knowing that Kelsi will give the best songs to Troy and Gabriella, gets Ryan to try to persuade Kelsi to give them a song by predicting her and Ryan's future ("I Want It All"). Sharpay later befriends Tiara Gold, aBritish transfer student, and they begin working together. However, everyone begins to suspect Tiara might be using Sharpay for her own personal gain, with Ryan, Taylor, Chad, and the others attempting to warn her. However, Sharpay refuses to believe it.
While on the rooftop, Troy asks Gabriella to prom and she teaches him how to dance ("Can I Have This Dance?"), while Taylor refuses Chad's pathetic attempt to ask her to the dance. She later relents when Chad asks again in front of the other students during lunch. The group rehearses for the musical with a scene about their prom night ("A Night to Remember"). The next day, Ryan and Kelsi rehearse ("Just Wanna Be With You"), which leads to Ryan asking Kelsi to prom, while Troy and Chad reminisce about their past in Reilly's Auto Parts ("The Boys are Back"). Tiara learns Gabriella has been accepted into theStanford Freshman's Honors Program and informs Sharpay, who, in turn, informs Troy and convinces him that he is the only thing keeping Gabriella from going. Troy convinces Gabriella to go, and she leaves for college the next day ("Walk Away").
Troy and his father, Jack, argue about which college he will attend, and Troy drives to East High conflicted until he finally screams in anger in the theater ("Scream"). Witnessing this, Ms. Darbus reveals that she sent in his application for Juilliard. Troy gets a call from Gabriella saying that although she loves him, she will not return for prom nor graduation. However, on the day of the prom, Troy visits Gabriella at Stanford and they have their own dance ("Can I Have This Dance? (Reprise)"). Meanwhile, Sharpay prepares for the musical at East High, and Troy texts his teammate Jimmie "Rocket Man" Zara to be his understudy because he is going to be late to the show.
Kelsi and Ryan start the show ("Senior Year Spring Musical"). As Troy and Gabriella's understudy, Jimmie performs with Sharpay and embarrasses her, although the audience applauds. Troy and Gabriella appear during the second half of the show and sing their duet together. Tiara betrays Sharpay, telling her she will take over the drama department in the next semester. Humiliated, Sharpay ultimately joins Tiara's performance and upstages her as payback.
At the end of the musical, Ms. Darbus reveals that both Kelsi and Ryan have won the Juilliard scholarship, and Troy reveals he has chosen to attend theUniversity of California, Berkeley to be close to Gabriella, play basketball, and perform in theater. Taylor reveals that she will be attendingYale University with honors to study political science, and Sharpay and Chad reveal they will attend theUniversity of Albuquerque for performing arts and basketball, respectively ("We're All In This Together (Graduation Mix)"). At the graduation ceremony, Troy gives the class speech after being selected by Ms. Darbus, and everyone celebrates ("High School Musical"). The six leads walk toward the stage and take their final bows as the curtain closes.
Additionally,Leslie Wing Pomeroy and Socorro Herrera reprise their roles from previous films as Troy and Gabriella's respective mothers. Dave Fox portrays Bolton's assistant Coach Kellogg, Yolanda Wood plays Chad's mother Jenny Danforth, andJoey Miyashima reprises his role as Principal Dave Matsui.
Stan Ellsworth plays Mr. Riley, Jeremy Banks plays a stagehand, and Todd Snyder and Tara Starling appear as the representatives of Juilliard. Ortega's dog, Manly "Little Pickles" Ortega, reprises his role as Sharpay's petYorkie Boi.
| Song | Lead singer(s) | Setting(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Now or Never" | Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Zeke and Jason | East High gym | The championship game |
| "Right Here, Right Now" | Troy and Gabriella | Troy's Treehouse | The after-party at the Bolton residence |
| "I Want It All" | Sharpay and Ryan | East High cafeteria | Sharpay and Ryan's fantasy sequence |
| "Can I Have This Dance?" | Troy and Gabriella | Rooftop garden of East High | Gabriella teaching Troy the waltz |
| "A Night to Remember" | Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, Chad, Taylor, Jason, Zeke, Martha, and Kelsi | East High Auditorium | A rehearsal for a musical number |
| "Just Wanna Be with You" | Ryan, Kelsi, Troy and Gabriella | East High Auditorium/East High Music Room | A declaration of friendship that survives against all odds |
| "The Boys Are Back" | Troy and Chad | Riley's Auto Salvage Junkyard | Troy and Chad reliving childhood memories and finding out what they want to be in life |
| "Right Here, Right Now" (Reprise) | Troy and Gabriella | Gabriella's house/Troy's treehouse | Emotional reprise of "Right Here, Right Now"; Troy and Gabriella worrying about how far away they'll be from each other (Only on extended version) |
| "Walk Away" | Gabriella | Gabriella's house | Gabriella's move to Stanford University |
| "Scream" | Troy | Throughout East High | Troy's confusion about his future after Gabriella leaves |
| "Can I Have This Dance?" (Reprise) | Troy and Gabriella | Stanford University/East High Auditorium | Troy convincing Gabriella to come back for the musical and graduation |
| "Senior Year Spring Musical" | Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, Chad, Kelsi, Jason, Zeke, Martha, Jimmie and Tiara | East High Auditorium (The Spring Musical performance) | Featuring: "Last Chance" (Kelsi and Ryan) "Now or Never (Reprise)" (Troy, Martha, Chad, Zeke and Jason) "I Want it All (Reprise)" (Ryan) "Just Wanna Be with You (Reprise)" (Sharpay, Jimmie, Troy and Gabriella) "A Night to Remember (Reprise)" (Sharpay and Tiara) |
| "We're All in This Together (Graduation Mix)" | Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Martha, Zeke, Jason, Jimmie, Donnie and Tiara (on soundtrack); Choir (in film) | East High auditorium/graduation ceremony on the East High Football Field | A slower, graduation-tuned reprise of the song |
| "High School Musical" | Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Martha, Zeke, Jason, Jimmie, Donnie and Tiara | Graduation ceremony on the East High Football Field | The trilogy finale |
| "Just Getting Started" | Stan Carrizosa | End credits | Heard over end credits |
Discussing returning for a third film in September 2007,Zac Efron toldPeople Magazine, "I can tell you that if the script is good and if we all agree on a final script, then there's nothing that is going to hold us back from doing it. We have fun making these movies and that's very rare in this business."[5] Rumors persisted of ongoing salary disputes between Disney and the lead performers, particularly Efron. According to Rachel Abramowitz, as reported online by theChicago Tribune, Efron was reported to be asking for $5 million, though she noted he had been offered closer to $3 million. Disney had planned to make the film before theWriters Guild strike andScreen Actors Guild strike shut down Hollywood for several months.[6] The film was originally titledHaunted High School Musical with plans of a Halloween theme that were later scrapped.[7]
Despite early reports thatVanessa Hudgens would be dropped from the film due to her nude photo scandal, Disney denied the reports, saying, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."[8][9][10]
In November 2007, director and choreographerKenny Ortega stated that pre-production would most likely start in January 2008, with filming planning to take place inSalt Lake City, Utah. At that time, the script was finalize and the music was being worked on. He hinted that the plot would revolve around the Wildcats' final year in high school and stated, "it looks like we've rounded up the cast".[11] The returning cast and film's plot were announced in January 2008.[12]
Principal photography began on May 3, 2008; the 41 days scheduled for shooting was a longer period than for the first two films.[13] The production received a $2 million filming incentive from Utah's Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity board to entice the production to film in Salt Lake City, including atEast High School.[4]High School Musical 3 was scheduled for release in theaters in the United States on October 24, 2008. The film had an $30 million budget and was said at the time to be the final installment with the current cast. The film introduced three new characters, Tiara Gold (played by Jemma McKenzie-Brown), Jimmie "The Rocket" Zara (played by Matt Prokop), and Donny Fox (played by Justin Martin), who were viewed by producer Bill Borden as the stars for a potential fourth film forDisney Channel.[2]
Stan Carrizosa, the winner ofABC's reality show,High School Musical: Get in the Picture, appears in "Just Getting Started", a song that is played over the end credits of the theatrical release of the film.[14] The show's other 11 finalists were featured in the music video as well.
A sing-along edition with lyrics highlighted on the screen was released in select theaters on November 7, 2008, two weeks following its initial release.[15]
High School Musical 3: Senior Year opened with $17 million on Friday, setting the biggest opening day for a musical film of all time, until the record was topped in 2012 byLes Miserables ($18.1 million).[16] It debuted at the #1 spot (beating outSaw V) with an opening weekend of $42,030,184 in the United States and breaking the record, previously held byEnchanted, for the biggest opening ever for a movie musical.[17] This record would later be broken byPitch Perfect 2 in 2015 ($69.2 million).[18] The film also opened at #1 overseas, with an international opening of $42,622,505. The film ultimately grossed $90,559,416 in North America and $162,349,761 in other territories leading to a worldwide total of $252,909,177.[3]
High School Musical 3: Senior Year received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.[19] OnRotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 64%, based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 5.95/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It won't win many converts, butHigh School Musical 3 is bright, energetic, and well-crafted." The site also gave it a Golden Tomato for best musical film of 2008.[20]Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score, the film has a score of 57 out of 100, based on 26 critics, "mixed or average" reviews.[21]
The Telegraph praised the changes brought about by the higher budget of a theatrical release: "High School Musical 3 uses its bigger budget to inject colour, scale, and visual depth. The opening basketball game alone is dizzying as the camera swoops high and wide before a winning point makes the crowd erupt".[22]
Stephen Farber, writing forReuters, says the film "will please fan base but won't win converts", as the story "never really does kick in" and that "the picture quickly grows tedious",[23] while MSNBC's Alonso Duralde describes it as "a stitched-togetherFrankenstein monster of an entertainment, featuring major components that were already trotted out the first two times."[24]
Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian describes the film as so bland that it "makes cellophane taste like chickenjalfrezi", and says that "the sheer squeaky-cleanness of everything is creepy, and when the characters are called upon to dance, they do so with robotic efficiency, and sing in that decaffeinated high vibrato, like 21st-century Hollywoodcastrati."[25]
Entertainment Weekly was very positive towards the film, praising the stars' energy: "the beauty of Efron's performance is that he's a vibrant athletic hoofer who leaps and clowns with the heartthrob vigor of a young Erika Casanova, yet he's also achingly sincere. His fast-break alertness makes him the most empathetic of teen idols; he's like aDavid Cassidy who knows how to act, and who can swoon without getting too moist about it. Apart from Efron, the breakout star is Ashley Tisdale, whose Sharpay makesnarcissism a goofy, bedazzled pleasure."[26]
MovieGuide has also favorably reviewed the film, strongly recommending it for the family as "fun, clean and full of energy" and describing it as "thin on plot" yet nevertheless "a phenomenon".[27]
BBC film criticMark Kermode loved the film and said it was in his top 5 films for the year, and named Tisdale the "Best Supporting Actress" of 2008.
TheFort Worth Star-Telegram stated that the latest installment was "critic-proof" and "everything fans could hope for and more." They go on to say that "the kids finally look like true performers rather thanDisney Channel mainstays desperately trying to remain relevant, and they deserve the lucrative careers that lie ahead" and gave the film a rating of four out of five stars.[28] Hudgens was recognized asKids' Choice Children's Pick at Nickelodeon'sKids' Choice Awards, Efron was voted Best Male Performance at the2009 MTV Movie Awards and Choice Actor: Music/Dance at the2009 Teen Choice Awards, and Tisdale was voted Breakthrough Performance Female at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards and Best Supporting Actress at the 2009 UK Kermode Awards.
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | CMA Wild and Young Awards | Best Actor International (Zac Efron) | Won |
| Most Popular Celebrity International (Zac Efron) | Won | ||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Live Action Family Film | Won | |
| 2009 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Film (Andy Dodd, David Lawrence,Adam Anders,Antonina Armato,Matthew Gerrard,Robbie Nevil, Nikki Anders, Jamie Houston,Adam Watts, Theodore Thomas, Theron Thomas and Timothy Thomas) | Won |
| BAFTA Awards | BAFTA Kids' Vote – Feature Film[29] | Nominated | |
| Golden Reel Award | Best Sound Editing – Music in a Musical Feature Film (Tanya Noel Hill and Charles Martin Inouye) | Nominated | |
| Kermode Awards | Best Supporting Actress (Ashley Tisdale) | Won | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Male Performance (Zac Efron) | Won | |
| Breakthrough Performance Female (Ashley Tisdale) | Won | ||
| Best Movie | Nominated | ||
| Breakthrough Performance Female (Vanessa Hudgens) | Nominated | ||
| Best Kiss (Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron) | Nominated | ||
| National Association of Latino Independent Producers | Outstanding Achievement Award (Kenny Ortega) | Won | |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie | Won | |
| Favorite Movie Actress (Vanessa Hudgens) | Won | ||
| Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards | Fave Movie Star (Zac Efron) | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Music/Dance (Zac Efron) | Won | |
| Choice Movie: Music/Dance | Won | ||
| Choice Movie Actress: Music/Dance (Vanessa Hudgens) | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Actress: Music/Dance (Ashley Tisdale) | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Liplock (Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens) | Nominated | ||
| Choice Movie Actor: Music/Dance (Corbin Bleu) | Nominated | ||
| Choice Music: Soundtrack (High School Musical 3: Senior Year soundtrack) | Nominated | ||
| Young Artist Award | Jackie Coogan Award – Contribution to Youth (Kenny Ortega) | Won |
High School Musical 3: Senior Year was released in Region 1 DVD andBlu-ray on February 17, 2009,[30] in Region 2 DVD on February 16, 2009[31] and in Region 3 DVD on February 24, 2009.[32] The DVD was released in single- and two-disc editions.[33]
In Region 2, the single-disc edition DVD featured most of the two-disc edition bonus features such asbloopers,deleted scenes, extended version of the film, sing-along and cast goodbyes.[34] In Region 3, only the single-disc edition DVD was released with all of the two-disc bonus features as well the extended edition of the film. In the Philippines, it was released on February 25, 2009. The Region 4 DVD was released on April 8, 2009. As of November 1, 2009, the DVD has sold over 23 million copies and generated over $200 million in sales revenue.[35]
The film premiered onDisney Channel in the United States on April 4, 2010, before the series premiere ofGood Luck Charlie. The premiere on Disney Channel brought 4 million viewers.[36]
The film premiered onDisney Channel India on October 18, 2009, and on December 5, 2009, inDisney Channel Asia. On December 4, 2009, for one night only, it premiered onDisney Cinemagic, and it premiered onDisney Channel in theUnited Kingdom andIreland in January/February 2010. It premiered on December 12, 2009, on Disney ChannelNew Zealand/Australia. And March 16, 2011, inLatin America. It premiered in France on October 31, 2011, onM6.
Aspin-off film,Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure (2011), was releaseddirect-to-video and on television. Set one year after the events ofSenior Year, it follows Sharpay Evans' life after graduation as she sets out to earn a place in aBroadway show.
In early 2016,Disney announced that a fourth installment of the series was "in the works", later announcing a casting call for the film, tentatively referred to asHigh School Musical 4.[37][38] In March 2016, details about the film's prospective principal characters were reported.[39]
After a 9-year hiatus, amockumentary series featuring a new cast, titledHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series was announced in 2017, with its first episode premiering onABC,Disney Channel, andFreeform on November 8, 2019, serving as asimulcast preview before its release onDisney+ on November 12. The series takes place in a fictionalized version of the real-life East High School, as they stage an adaptation of the firstHigh School Musical film, although later seasons also feature songs from both the second and third film.
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