| High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Tim Federle |
| Directed by | Tim Federle |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gabriel Mann |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Mary Fukuto |
| Production locations | |
| Cinematography | Christopher Baffa |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Disney+ |
| Release | December 11, 2020 (2020-12-11) |
High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special is amusicaltelevision special created forDisney+ and written, produced and directed byTim Federle. Inspired by theHigh School Musical film series, it featured the series' cast membersOlivia Rodrigo,Joshua Bassett,Matt Cornett andSofia Wylie amongst others, performingChristmas music and also previewed a snippet the second season ofHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series that released in May 2021.
As the production of the second season was halted due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Federle discussed on a possibility of directing aChristmas film with the cast. Inspired by various reality television music and dance competition programs, Federle wanted the special to explore the insights of the cast on who they actually are, instead of their characters in the series. The show was filmed during the pandemic with strict restrictions, on multiple cities with Federle remotely directing and supervising them.
The special was released on December 11, 2020 with anaccompanying soundtrack that featured acoustic version of two original songs written for the second season, was released three weeks before.
In March 2020, production of the second season ofHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series, along with many other projects around the world, has been halted due to increasing concerns regarding theCOVID-19 pandemic.[1] During the lockdown, series showrunnerTim Federle discussed the idea of doing aChristmas film with the cast. In an interview withTVLine, Federle stated, "...it still felt pretty dire. No one had really cracked it. So I said to Disney, 'What if we used this natural separation to our advantage and got to know the actorsbehind the characters?'"[2]
On October 7, 2020,Disney+ publicly announced the television special.[3][4] Federie wanted "the audience experience to be escaping into this holiday merriment" despite the difficulties in production.[5] He recalled that he had been a fan of the reality television music and dance competition shows, likeSo You Think You Can Dance andAmerican Idol. Hence, knowing that the cast would be separated and in their own hometowns, he thought "let's just use this as an opportunity to learn who they actually are, not as their characters".[5]
The Holiday Special is a compilation of music videos where the cast perform renditions fromChristmas,New Year andHanukkah classics and pop hits, and share their holiday memories from their childhoods, presents, family traditions and photos and New Year resolutions.[6][7] Filming of the videos were done with a small production crew during the fall of 2020, with Federie directing remotely at various locations in the four cities:Arizona,New York,Los Angeles, California andSalt Lake City inUtah.[5]
Prior to the production, the cast were quarantined for around five months.Sofia Wylie's portions were shot at theSonoran Desert during a heatwave, where she woke up at 4 am, and Federie directed it with the speakerphone attached to a microphone to it.[5] Other primary locations, includes the Bachelor Mansion inMalibu, California, since most of the real locations were not available due to the pandemic restrictions.[8]
The special would also feature a preview of the first musical performance in the second season, that featured the entire ensemble. It was shot at theEast High School where the series is concurrently shot there.[9]
An album accompanying the special was released on November 20, three weeks prior to the premiere.[10] It featured covers of classicChristmas and holiday songs, and two original songs which would be later used in the second season: "Something in the Air" and "The Perfect Gift".[6][11]
A first look of the special was released on November 13, 2020 as anEntertainment Weekly exclusive,[5][12] followed by a trailer that released five days later.[13][14] The special was premiered throughDisney+ on December 11.[15][16]
Sara Casaus ofYoung Entertainment Magazine reviewed "In a year that’s been tough to cope with from start to finish, this holiday special hits home as it celebrates what Christmas means to each cast member."[17] Nicholas Soto of But Why Tho? recalled that he "really enjoyed watching theHSMTM: The Holiday Special. Getting to hear more about the cast and how they celebrated the holidays will have fans of the show feeling more connected to the cast. They’ll also get to know more about how music played a role in their lives and how music affected their holidays."[18] Markos Papadatos ofDigital Journal called it as "heartfelt and present" and praised Cornett and Bassett's performance.[19] Margot Richlin ofInklings News wrote "Overall, if you are looking for a good way to ring in the holiday season and get to know one of your favorite casts, this holiday special is your best bet."[20] In contrast, Sofia Hargis-Acevedo ofThe Central Trend summarized that "High School Musical, The Musical, The Holiday Special did not live up to its name and legacy."[21]
Writing forKveller, Linda Buchawald analyzed on the Jewish representation in the series, by singling out onJulia Lester andLarry Saperstein's contributions (the two Jewish cast members in the series) and recalled that it was "amazing to hear Lester and Saperstein speak so openly about their Judaism — both the difficult parts of feeling different and their pride in their traditions."[22]
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