It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years, Musical Baccalaureate premiered and made Disney Channel history.
Musical Baccalaureate, which lasted between 2006 and 2008followed to Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), two teenagers from completely different cliques, who are united by their love of music. Their love story is the backdrop of the film series as their friends take part in the school musical.
The Moment
Who would have thought that a cute encounter between teenage basketball player Troy Bolton and transfer student Gabriella would lead to two decades of music, memes and memories?
Premiered on January 20, 2006, Musical Baccalaureate it started like Disney Channel’s attempt to replicate the success of The Cheetah Girls, but turned into a celebration of tu-do-tu nonconformity through the lens of teenagers on the brink of adulthood.
And we all have that HSM song we can’t get out of our heads, whether it’s “Start of Something New,” “Get’cha Head in the Game,” or “We’re All in This Together.”
High School Musical had more than 7.7 million television screens in the United States when it premiered in 2006, making it the highest-rated Disney Channel Original Movie at the time. The film followed basketball star Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and a smart transfer student, Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), as they disrupt the status quo of East High (…)
Who was involved
HSM – shot at East High School in Salt Lake Citywhich became Albuquerque’s East High School on screen, featured every school clique imaginable. In addition to Troy and Gabriella, whose desire to star in the school musical led to all kinds of romantic obstacles, there was jock Chad (Corbin Blue); drama club trendsetter twins Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel); and Taylor’s brain (Monique Coleman).
Thanks to HSMthe cast became household names! In fact, Efron once revealed Jimmy Kimmel Live! that Papua New Guinean tribesmen on their crocodile-catching excursion asked him to FaceTime their cousins and wives.
Why do we remember it?
Bart Johnsonaka Efron’s on-screen dad, Coach Bolton, and host of the “Get Your Head in the Game” podcast (a “Magical Rewind” spin-off), credits the writers and director/choreographer extraordinaire. Kenny Orega to perfectly encapsulate the coming of age experience.
“It’s all exaggerated and extreme, but the message is very grounded and real,” Johnson notes. “It resonates with people. It’s part of the magic.”
Key details
Coleman, who was 25 when HSM made his debut, compared to 17–22 for his cast mates we they saw her as a “big sister” figure.
“I won’t say who, what or where, but I was in the car with people the first time they drove with an adult in the (vehicle). I would be the only one. They would say, ‘Mo, you go,'” he recalls. “People lost their virginity. All kinds of things (were) happening. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, talk to your parents.'”
The Consequences
HSM broke Disney Channel records, landed the soundtrack at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, and spawned sequels, spin-offs, and even cast tours. In 2007, Musical Baccalaureate 2 provided a change of scenery (summer at the country club!) and a subtle cameo from Miley Cyrusand in 2008, Musical Baccalaureate 3: Higher Cycle graduated to a theatrical release.
Meanwhile, Tisdale scored a 2011 spin-off film, Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventurewith the future Golden Globe winner Austin Butler.
According to Johnson, “I think there were three High School Musical 4 scripts written. One was a West Side Story type of movie where it was East vs. West.”
And from 2019 to 2023, High School Musical: The Musical: The Seriess — yes, on a production of HSM – dominated Disney+ and served as a launch pad for the singer Olivia Rodrigo.
The High School Musical love story between Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez led to an off-screen romance for the actors who played them. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, who played Troy and Gabriella in the 2006 DCOM, started dating shortly after filming the first movie. The couple called it quits in 2010 after five years of (…)
A new perspective
The trilogy paved the way for Disney Channel to take more storytelling risks, while the stars of HSM were given a chance to branch out.
The question on everyone’s mind: What are the odds of an HSM revival? “I feel like we’ve already done that,” Tisdale tells us, admitting she hasn’t seen most of her co-stars “in a while.” Still, once you ride, always a wildcat?
where are they now
Efron’s career led to raunchy comedies, a critically acclaimed performance The Iron Claw and a recent audience role as a supportive sibling Dylan Efron activated Dancing with the stars. Hudgens became a Netflix Christmas queen and welcomed her second child in November as other former castmates, like Tisdale, expanded into parenthood. In January 2026, Tisdale made headlines after writing an essay about a fight she had with her moms’ group, which many suspected was in reference to Hilary Duff (Disney’s own franchise Lizzie McGuire celebrates 25 years this month).