High School Musical 2

TV-G

2007

1h 30m

Kids & Family

Musical

Comedy

List

83%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

During summer vacation, Troy (Zac Efron) gets a job at Sharpay's (Ashley Tisdale) resort but doesn't realize she has an ulterior motive for hiring him.

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Premiered Apr 02

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Critics Consensus

Surprisingly better than its predecessor, High School Musical 2 returns to enchant tweens with its snappy songs, wicked dance moves, and peppy spirit.

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Annabelle C

The songs were amazing and certain scenes were played to perfection, but the overall storyline seemed a bit… eh…

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

jackson p

well, the sequel was actually rated better than the first movie. looks like they didn't take the nosedive to milking the cow to much yet.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/23/23

Full Review

Rami A

If anyone claims to be a fan of the first movie and doesn't like the sequel, then there is no talking to you.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Beautiful music. Zac Efron’s choreography in the “Bet on it” scene was so beautiful, I even shed a tear.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Over 15 years old already This is one of my favorite sequels from Disney Channel by director Kenny Ortega Much of the original cast returns from the hit 2006 original including Zac Efron as Troy, Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella, Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay, Lucas Grabeel as Ryan, Monique Coleman as Taylor, Olesya Rulin as Kelsi, and Corbin Bleu as Chad It’s officially summer vacation and the East High Wildcats are off to get jobs to prepare for their futures with college etc. But Sharpay plans to steal Troy away from Gabriella even sabotaging the talent show making the rest of her classmates into employees for her parents’ Lava Springs resort Troy also must make a big decision regarding his future for scholarships or maintaining his relationship with the rest of his teammates as well as Gabriella This had better songs, flashier colors, more refined themes, and it allowed these actors to grow and get better Efron actually sang in this one plus it created such a popular vine on the internet I absolutely love Gotta Go My Own Way as it’s very heartbreaking with Gabriella doubting who Troy has become and she’s willing to go her own path until he makes the right choice The plot could've been stronger though and the Fabulous song is my least favorite Yet it fully embraces the camp aesthetic taking place at an exaggerated country club catering to the wealthy It’s crazy they advertised it at the YMCA in my old neighborhood It obliterated tv records becoming the highest rated program at the time It’s also quite amazing it spawned so much clothing and merchandise The film demonstrates its prioritization of spectacle, in this case, sonic spectacle, over realism It also plays around with gender roles particularly with sports being associated with masculinity and dancing with femininity and eschewing conformity There’s really good existential query about reaching a crossroads; a real dilemma that has no easy answer Everyone will always be chasing the same opportunities, you don’t want to be left behind when choosing your path in life, we always like being in charge of our futures until they start happening, we can still think about right now not what will happen later, there’s always time to make the right decision Overall it’s about the push and pull of moving forward when you don’t want to leave your loved ones behind The movie changed childhoods across the world, made household names out of unknown teen actors, and ushered in a new era of IP for one of the biggest corporations in the business A worthy sequel to the original movie that brought musicals back in the foray

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/18/23

Full Review

Joshua C

The sequel to High School Musical serves as the Magnum Opus of the series. Building on the success of its predecessor, this film improves all aspects. The songs are catchier, the choreography is greater, and the plot and characters are more fleshed out. Best one out of the three and it's not even close.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/11/23

Full Review

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Kenny Ortega

Director

Zac Efron

Troy Bolton

Vanessa Hudgens

Gabriella Montez

Ashley Tisdale

Sharpay Evans

Lucas Grabeel

Ryan Evans

Corbin Bleu

Chad Danforth

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Gordon Farrer

The Age (Australia)

It's an irrepressibly colourful and upbeat effort and the result is Grease meets Fame meets Annette Funicello and Elvis Presley, for 8-to-12-year-olds.

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

OC Register Staff

Orange County Register

While it'll satisfy its target demographic to no end, there's something lacking, where, instead of a soul, there's nothing more than the contrived emotionless plastic of a well-oiled money-making machine.

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

Barry Garron

Hollywood Reporter

High School Musical 2, like the original, does well by doing good. While Disney coffers swell, these movies inspire a new generation to think seriously about dance and about the impact of drama laced with music.

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

Aric Jenkins

The Ringer

The original High School Musical may have started it all, but its sequel is the movie that permanently etched those songs into the millennial consciousness.

Apr 25, 2023

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

The music is catchy and the cast likable

Jul 5, 2021

Full Review

Tom Folley

Radio Times

The musical numbers are ready-made for single release, the performances, as before, are energetic, and the minor characters are given extra screen time, making the action more rounded. All in all, it's a squeaky-clean delight.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

During summer vacation, Troy (Zac Efron) gets a job at Sharpay's (Ashley Tisdale) resort but doesn't realize she has an ulterior motive for hiring him.

Director: Kenny Ortega
Producer: Bill Borden, Barry Rosenbush
Screenwriter: Peter Barsocchini
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures, Salty Features
Rating: TV-G
Genre: Kids & Family, Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 18, 2016
Runtime: 1h 30m

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