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Troy Bolton did nothing wrong! | Episode 29: High School Musical 2 ft. MrCheezyPop 🤩
77 Plays2 months ago
What time is it? SUMMER TIME! Let’s hang by the pool while listening to this episode about High School Musical 2 😎💧☀️🎤⛳️
‼️ WITH SPECIAL GUEST HOST Mr. Cheezy Pop!!! (aka Maxwell Glick) ‼️
Let's discuss:
– The iconic “Bet On It” choreo 🕺
– Ryan and Chad’s secret summer fling?! 💕
– Troy Bolton has done nothing wrong, ever 😤
All that and more in this episode!
High School Musical 2 was released in 2007 and stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, and more! Watch it on Disney+ ✨
Check out Max’s content:
▶️ YouTube: @mrcheezypop
📸 Instagram: @mrcheezypop
💬 X: @maxwellglick
🎨 Tumblr: maxwellglick.tumblr.com
Welcome to Once Upon A DCOM Podcast where we rave (and sometimes roast) classic DCOMs! We're rewatching every single Disney Channel Original Movie.
🔔 Follow us for future episodes
Find us on socials👇
🎵 TikTok: @onceuponadcom.podcast
📸 Instagram: @onceuponadcom.podcast
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Transcript
Meeting Max at a Halloween Party
00:00:00
Speaker
Uh, Max, I don't know if you remember this, but the first time that we met in person, you were dressed as Troy Bolton. Whoa, really? Yeah, we were at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in 2018 or 19. I don't remember now. That's wild. Okay. I know.
00:00:20
Speaker
Okay, I didn't know. was trying to remember if we met in Epcot or Magic Kingdom. So it was actually, I was Troy. Okay. Were you in the basketball uniform? Yeah.
00:00:31
Speaker
Oh, heck yeah. yeah Number 14. Fantastic. Fantastic. Yeah, I had the basketball uniform and oh, man. And my hair was different then, too. So I looked more like Troy. i had that I had the Troy. when I was rewatching High School Musical 2 just for this, you know, because I was like, I i gotta rewatch it again.
00:00:47
Speaker
And um I was like, man, I used to have that that little floppy hair thing. You were not alone. That was like every guy. Yep. Every teenage boy said this is the haircut.
Introduction to 'Once Upon a DCOM' and Guest Maxwell Glick
00:01:04
Speaker
Welcome fellow Disney Channel babes, whether you're from the nostalgic 90s, or the awkward odds, or you're giving Gen Z, we're glad that you're here. I'm Gabriella. And I'm Natalie, and this is the podcast where we rave, and sometimes roast, classic Disney Channel original movies. You're listening to Once Upon a Decom.
00:01:24
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Once Upon a DCOM, the podcast that takes you down memory lane by rewatching your favorite Disney Channel original movies. My name is Natalie and this is my co-host Gabby.
00:01:35
Speaker
hi And today we have a very special guest, Mr. Maxwell Glick. Say hi, Max. Woo! What's
Maxwell Glick's Career Highlights
00:01:43
Speaker
up? ah Thanks for having me. This is fun.
00:01:46
Speaker
yeah sure. I gave everyone a like a bit of an intro to who you are last week, but can you give an elevator pitch? Who is who is Maxwell Glick? Wow. Sure.
00:01:59
Speaker
Well, i've been i guess I'm an actor, a voice actor, an influencer. You guess you're an actor. I do all these things, yes. Um... I, uh, I've been, you know, I've been creating content online as Mr. Cheesy Pop, uh, for a very long time now.
00:02:18
Speaker
And a lot of my content is centered around Disney. Um, and when I'm not making content, I am, as I said, an actor, lots of voice acting, um, voice acting, voice coaching.
00:02:31
Speaker
i kind of do a lot and I, ah never stop. And, uh, yeah, that's me.
Excitement for 'High School Musical 2'
00:02:37
Speaker
Yeah. You were also Mr. Collins in the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which my husband and I love. There we go. The best.
00:02:46
Speaker
The best. And in the Emma-approved revamp. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's right. Yeah. We are so happy to have you on the podcast today because we are talking about and all-time favorite, High School Musical 2.
00:03:02
Speaker
It's also very funny that we have had so many summer movies in a row um on this podcast because as we're recording this, it is the dead of winter.
Success of 'High School Musical 2'
00:03:11
Speaker
dead of winter. But the randomizer has chosen ah several summer movies in a row.
00:03:16
Speaker
and You're welcome. um We're going to a little movie recap and discuss the film, see where these actors are now. But before all of that, um let me give a little brief intro into this film.
00:03:29
Speaker
So this movie was directed by the one and only Kenny Ortega, who at this point was basically Disney Channel royalty. He didn't just direct the entire High School Musical trilogy. He also is the mastermind behind Hocus Pocus, Descendants, and he also choreographed Dirty Dancing.
00:03:47
Speaker
I think I knew that fact and I forgot. did Did you guys know he choreographed already dancing? I did. Did I? I don't. I think you just I think you just blew my mind with that.
00:03:59
Speaker
Yeah. Wow. I love it. He's amazing. Gosh. I thought I was like, surely it's a different Kenny Ortega. But no, no I was like, he's just that great. I know. I think it was on our Descendants ah episode that I raved and ranted about how much I love Mr. Kenny.
00:04:16
Speaker
But, you know, I'll save that for another time. High School Musical 2 premiered on Disney Channel in 2007. And absolutely just shattered all of the records. It became the most watched Disney Channel original movie premiere of all time, pulling in a whopping 17.2 million viewers on its first night.
00:04:38
Speaker
What? And to put that into perspective, that is more than Friends averaged in its final season for every episode. yeah Including the finale? Including the finale of Friends. like it It's so crazy to think 17 million people watched something at the same time. the same time, right?
00:04:56
Speaker
but this This was an event.
Plot Summary of 'High School Musical 2'
00:04:59
Speaker
Yeah. I mean i was I was one of those people. I was there. I watched it. I was there. I had a whole little party at our house. I voted that Maya Lee be in the movie. I don't know if you guys went on Disney Channel.com and voted for who should be in it. I did not vote. Because I did.
00:05:14
Speaker
But I should have. She was in it for 0.5 seconds, like two frames. yeah You blink, you miss her. Also, the soundtrack was just just as big of a deal. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it the most successful DCOM soundtrack ever.
00:05:31
Speaker
um Film, I don't need to say this, but I will for the sake. of the podcast. It stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Blue, Monique Coleman, and Lucas Gabriel.
00:05:41
Speaker
keep gri be I can never say his name. We had this problem last time. Lucas. And Luke G. lookie g Who I have also met, fun fact. Hey, met him too.
00:05:54
Speaker
You did? Hey. Yeah. Where'd you meet him? Twice. Wow. I got two good stories with him, actually. Okay, let's hear it. um The first one was i met him at ah my audition for The Office.
00:06:09
Speaker
Was he auditioning for The Office? You auditioned for The Office? because Yeah, hit yeah and and i got and I beat him out for it. Hey-oh. That's right, Max. Yeah, I met him at that audition. Yes, and we were ah we were auditioning for the same role.
00:06:25
Speaker
That's hilarious. And I got it. ah Yes. Episode. Yeah. Season seven, episode three, if you want to check that out. um Absolutely. be Watching that. Yep. Yep. Yep.
00:06:36
Speaker
Yeah. So I met Lucas then. And um and then we did another thing. We we read some animation feature film. We were at ah like ah it was like a table read of it.
00:06:50
Speaker
Yeah. OK. And I think he was like my brother in that movie. Love it. Which never made it, but hey. But hey. That's amazing. Yeah. Well, your stories are way cooler than mine. I just met him at a concert.
00:07:04
Speaker
Gabby, will you take us through this movie? Of course. Yeah. I just want to also note, it's interesting. A lot of the movies that we've talked about, it's always been like, oh, they had no idea it was going to become such a big thing. And I feel like this one they did. So they really tried on this one. Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:21
Speaker
So here we go. We return to our favorite franchise with the Wildcats on their last day of school following the year that Gabriela and Troy changed the status quo. The movie opens with an energetic song about school being out and summer finally arriving.
00:07:36
Speaker
As they're all packing up their things to leave for the summer, the Wildcats are talking about their plans and how they are all in desperate need of summer jobs. And, as luck would have it, the next day Troy gets an unexpected call from the Lava Springs Golf Resort.
00:07:51
Speaker
The manager tells him that there are Wildcat fans at Lava Springs and they want to offer him a job for the summer. Yay! Troy quickly asks if the Wildcats and Gabriela can also work there with him, and a few days later they are all off to Lava Springs.
00:08:04
Speaker
But before they arrive, we get the shocking reveal that Sharpay and Ryan's parents actually own Lava Springs. And Sharpay is kind of a princess at the resort. She sings a fabulous song about how she wants everything to be perfect this summer.
00:08:19
Speaker
ah see what did there. It was so subtle. I'm surprised you saw it.
00:08:26
Speaker
And then she sees the new lifeguard, Gabriella, and Troy walking in with all of his friends. Sharpay is none too happy about her fellow classmates' appearances as she had only requested that Troy be hired.
00:08:37
Speaker
Her main fear is that the Wildcats will ruin the Lava Springs annual talent show, which she and Ryan have won every year. You know, when you boil down the plot, it's very ridiculous.
00:08:49
Speaker
It's so silly. Oh, just wait. There's so much more. Yeah. We're about 10 minutes into the movie right now, guys. Oh, yeah. So Sharpay tells Mr. Fulton, the general manager of Lava Springs, that if he's not allowed to fire the other Wildcats because her mother won't let him, then he should make working there so bad that they want to quit.
00:09:11
Speaker
And so Fulton reluctantly sets out to make the resort a miserable place for Gabriela and her friends. But not a miserable place for Troy. During the course of their first few weeks, Sharpay and Ryan spy on Troy and Gabriela, making sure that they get written up for things like having a picnic on the golf course, taking lunch breaks three minutes early, and swimming after hours.
00:09:32
Speaker
But while Gabriela is under threat of being fired, Troy is excelling in his role. One day, Troy and Chad are made golf caddies for the Evans family, and Troy gets to talk to Sharpay's dad about scholarship opportunities at U of a while Chad is completely ignored.
00:09:48
Speaker
They even give Troy a chance to play a few rounds of golf, and his skills impresses Mr.
Character Relationships and Conflicts
00:09:53
Speaker
Evans so much that they invite Troy to dinner at the resort with some of the other U of A alumni. Despite feeling super weird about the situation and being waited on by his friends, Troy accepts the invitation, ah knowing how important of an opportunity this is for a scholarship.
00:10:07
Speaker
Because his dad pressures him about the future constantly. Thanks, Coach Bolton. Every moment of his life. Yep, yep, yep. What are they all doing working too? Like so much. there The whole place is run by.
00:10:20
Speaker
Children. Teenagers. What is going on? Yes. Yeah. There's like no adults at this resort. No. Fulton is the only adult member who works there. Yeah.
00:10:31
Speaker
What? Oh. I don't want to go to a resort where only children are working. I know You know what? The mom makes a comment about it when she's doing yoga. She's like, oh, this is your school. It's not the fuddy, daddy Lava Springs people. I'm like, okay, rude, but also maybe true. Like like you own this place. Just hire new people.
00:10:53
Speaker
It's so bizarre. But like, seriously, it's like a luxury it resort and the place the place is just run by these kids. The only ones that work there.
00:11:04
Speaker
but Yep. Makes no sense. Clearly a decom by its realism. Yeah. So at the dinner, Sharpay kind of blackmails Troy into promising that he'll sing a song with her in the talent show.
00:11:18
Speaker
The next day, Troy is promoted from waiter slash caddy to assistant golf pro, which is a salaried position and comes with incredible perks like a golf cart, membership privileges, and Italian shoes.
00:11:32
Speaker
Troy accepts the opportunity with excitement. Yeah. But the other Wildcats are really starting to feel a left behind, especially Gabriela. Things really come to a head when Troy is invited to play a game of basketball at the U of A stadium with some of the Red Hawk alumni.
00:11:47
Speaker
But he tells Chad and his friends that it is a closed practice, so they can't come. To make matters worse, he's going... I was like, why are you upset? why Why are they upset with Troy? He didn't do anything.
00:12:00
Speaker
Nothing. You're in your Walmart basketball shorts. Of course they're not going to invite you.
00:12:06
Speaker
Not the Walmart shorts. Nothing against Walmart. I'm saying they don't look ready for pro level. So to make matters worse, Troy is going to miss the staff baseball game to go to this practice. No, even though he'd promised to be in the game.
00:12:24
Speaker
Now, something else you need to know is that in the background, Kelsey, remember she plays the piano, and some of the other Wildcats have been working on a performance for the upcoming talent show because it is tradition and that the Lava Springs staff always performs the number.
00:12:39
Speaker
Sharpay has been annoyed about this, but she kind of let it go after Troy agreed to sing with her. The problem is that when she brought Troy in she kind of kicked her brother Ryan out. So now Ryan is angry and sad that he won't get his big performance in the show.
00:12:53
Speaker
So Gabriella and Taylor find him sulking on their way to the staff baseball game, and they invite him to come along and join in. At the game, Troy and Chad have an epic dance battle, of course, over the fact that Chad refuses to dance.
00:13:06
Speaker
And in the end, they become friends and Ryan agrees to direct a number for the staff's performance.
00:13:17
Speaker
There's something about doing a jazz square while singing i Don't Dance that just, you know, really the realism for me. He's the most talented dancer there singing Dance. By Yes.
00:13:30
Speaker
So when Sharpay finds out about Ryan directing the staff number, she feels like he stabbed her in the back. So she goes to Falten and convinces him that the staff are more needed to run the event since important people from U of A are coming to watch Troy perform with her.
00:13:44
Speaker
So Falten, very upset about it, makes a new rule that no staff member can take part in the show. When Gabriella finds out about this, she goes to confront Sharpay, telling her that she's very good at a game that she doesn't want to play.
00:13:56
Speaker
So she's leaving. Troy overhears this and asks Gabriella what she means by leaving. And Gabriella tells him that working together sounded good at first, but people change and she has to do what's best for her.
00:14:07
Speaker
They sing an emotional breakup ballad, which was my
Key Songs and Dramatic Moments
00:14:11
Speaker
anthem when I was 12 and single as a Pringle. And then she goes home. but You were 12 and it just really hit your soul. was belting it out.
00:14:20
Speaker
I mean, it is dramatic. That is like... Yeah. She gives him his necklace back. Other than bet on it, that just might be the most dramatic song.
00:14:32
Speaker
Oh. Well, speaking of bet on it, a devastated Troy finds himself alone and unsure of who he is, which leads us to what I believe is the second best song of the franchise, second only to Troy's other rage bangers, Scream, in the third movie. That is an amazing song. Yes, you're right.
00:14:53
Speaker
So good and he's things bad on slap water and scream and he gets to slap water in this one So miss Natalie, you just took away one of my next points. So sorry I'm so sorry. oh Oh, that's okay.
00:15:05
Speaker
It's fine That just proves how impactful it really is when he loves that water it was impactful to me when I was what 10? listen Yes. I mean, listen, the dude's like literally arguing with his own reflection. it is ah it is a big, yeah.
00:15:21
Speaker
It's a moment. It's a cinematic moment. o So as we've said, Troy frolics around the golf course, jumping over rocks, slashing his reflection in ponds, vowing to become someone his friends can count on.
00:15:35
Speaker
And we love it. Yes. Yes. Man, i have always wanted to like just do that on a golf course. Yeah. Right. I mean, right. Just run freely. but Like, yeah, you could do it at a putt putt.
00:15:52
Speaker
but Yeah. Yeah. I would love to have been there that day. i wonder how much he had to run that day. I've always wondered how much of it they just let him go. like they were like, there's no choreography. Just do what feels right. Because he's like spinning in the air and sprinting.
00:16:08
Speaker
it He's like, you know what feels right? Water slap. Sand through my fingers. Sand. The sand. Yes, the sand. And then slow rise with the sand.
00:16:19
Speaker
my god, it's so good. This is the first time I noticed how terrible the CGI is on the reflection in the pond. There's no water moving. Just garbage. oh Oh, my gosh.
00:16:32
Speaker
Okay, we got to wrap this part up. It's so much fun. In the end, Troy asked Fulton for his old kitchen job back and then tell Sharpay that because he's staff again, he can no longer sing in the talent show with her.
00:16:44
Speaker
Sharpay completely freaks out and then turns to Ryan, but he won't sing with her either. After that, Troy apologizes to Chad, he makes things right to his friends, everything is good again, and Ryan tells Troy that he probably doesn't necessarily think he wants his sister to crash and burn, and so he wants Troy to sing with her.
00:17:01
Speaker
Troy agrees, but only if Sharpay will allow the Wildcats to perform as well. When Troy gets on stage, Sharpay is nowhere to be found, and he is surprised to hear a different voice singing with him.
00:17:13
Speaker
From the back, we see the Wildcats part aside and reveal Gabriela is the mystery duet partner. she emerges and walks down the aisle.
00:17:24
Speaker
It's so beautiful. It is. i You know what? when i just you know As I said, I rewatched it again, and i got goosebumps. Like... It really did. The look on his beautiful face when he realizes it's hurt. You're like, oh my gosh, Zac Efron, are you a good actor?
00:17:41
Speaker
Yeah. Are you? and oh I have commentary on that. Okay, we'll come back to that. So they get to sing together. They get to perform with all of their friends and they even let Sharpay in on the dance.
00:17:52
Speaker
When the time comes to give out the Stardazzle Award, Sharpay quickly hands it over to her brother Ryan, giving him all the credit for the performance. In the end, everyone is bestest best friends and they have a pool party where we get a brief glimpse at Miley Cyrus in the festivities and they all sing about how awesome summer is.
00:18:10
Speaker
And that is High School Musical 2. Was Miley Cyrus working at the resort too? Because that was a staff party. Most likely. What was she doing? Was she the the the lounge singer?
00:18:23
Speaker
Was she credited? ah wonder if it's like... she's on IMDb. Miley Cyrus as Miley Cyrus? Or did she have like a character name? Dancer number 12. Ooh, yeah. Yeah, Miley Cyrus is credited as Girl at Pool.
Nostalgia and Personal Impact
00:18:38
Speaker
Sweet. So she worked there. Okay. That's a name. That's a named role. Wow. Thanks for being our girl at pool, Miley. Mm-hmm.
00:18:48
Speaker
Max, when is the last time that you had seen this movie like before re-watching it for the podcast? Oh, hmm. You know, maybe a few years ago, honestly. but like when did disney plus kind When did Disney Plus start?
00:19:05
Speaker
Like 2020, 2019? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Around there. So maybe i I think, yeah, I would say about three years or so something like that. But yeah, yeah something like that. How'd you feel about it this time versus the past?
00:19:18
Speaker
No, I still ah honestly like still really, really loved it. i i did. um i mean, yeah, you you do see a lot more ridiculous things. Like you just described the plot there and it's like, this is so absurd.
00:19:35
Speaker
all but like it it also did just make me feel like I said I got goosebumps in that one scene like watching him do ah bet on it like this is perfect I think I was like is it nostalgia or is it just like cheesy perfection I i don't know I think it's a little a bit of both right both can be true yeah I loved it I loved watching it again but yes it's totally ridiculous like the plot's completely insane yeah really nothing happens no kids get summer job girl has talent show
00:20:10
Speaker
Yeah, the talent show is like the literal most important thing in the entire world. I mean, it is. That's kind of true for all three High School Musicals. Yes, yes, that is this universe.
00:20:23
Speaker
High School Musical 3 is about finding your passion and focusing on what you need be in life and all that jazz. That sounds very similar to the first one.
00:20:34
Speaker
Don't you dare come for High School Musical 3. Yeah. yeah Oh my gosh. Now, I love this movie. I think that's like extremely obvious because High School Musical is my favorite franchise of all time, but...
00:20:46
Speaker
Yeah, I think this is the one that I've seen the least because it's my least favorite, which doesn't mean I don't like it, just that I think the other two are better. But it was it was good to watch because like I was reminded of so many things that I forgot about and I was pleasantly surprised by Zac Efron's acting.
00:21:06
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. this We're coming back to it now. husband and I were having a conversation about this because I feel like their chemistry, Natalie and I have talked about this before, is not as great as some of the other chemistry we've seen in other DCOMs. And I think it's Gabriella's fault.
00:21:20
Speaker
Like, sorry, Vanessa, it's your fault. Ouch. There is like a perfect, like, medium place that you have to live in these romances to make it work. And it's like right on the edge of sexual tension, but not going into it and like beyond friendly.
00:21:36
Speaker
Vanessa Hudgens lives in either like... very sexual or very cutesy friendly. Zephyr lives here in this perfect middle where you're like, I'm on the edge of my seat. Like you love her, but we're not there yet, but we're not back there. Oh, it's perfect.
00:21:50
Speaker
So I think it's her fault because he's great. okay I honestly, I think I'm with you there. He's awesome in this. He's really good. he's a really good like He came into his own here.
00:22:01
Speaker
i think with, because like High School Musical 1, I don't think he knew what he was doing. No, he none of them did. They were like, we're making a Disney movie. I don't know. And yeah, he he was good.
00:22:14
Speaker
He was. was really good. Yeah. And then the third one, you're like, how I'm feeling things. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. yeah yeah yeah I will say, you know you're old when Troy makes you feel a little pedophile and suddenly his dad is the hot one.
00:22:30
Speaker
I was like drooling over his dad. do love for his dad. Yeah, so I was looking at Vanessa Hudgens like, oh, you look like a child here. Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:42
Speaker
Yeah. yeah I think, I fear we might be old.
Character Dynamics and Critiques
00:22:47
Speaker
Oh, yeah. I fear it. Yeah. Yeah. but We're going to move on from that. i just have to throw it out there. I agree, though. like The choreography in this one is so clean. like The acting is better. like I think they get better with each movie for sure. oh yeah. Definitely. yeah bigger Bigger budget, I assume.
00:23:08
Speaker
i I would hope so. Although, maybe they should have focused more money on that CGI. but yeah It's neither here nor there. No, it all went to Sharpay's wardrobe and the pool floaties in her fabulous song.
00:23:22
Speaker
Which ah greatly enhanced the production. so Obviously, yes. Speaking of which, the songs in this movie, yeah better, worse? Is there improvement from the first one? What do you think?
00:23:36
Speaker
I say better than the first one. I think they might be better. Yeah, I agree. How many iconic songs are in this one, actually? Fabulous.
00:23:47
Speaker
be Bet on it. Got to go my own way. What time is it? Oh, my gosh. Has anyone else ever noticed the clock getting bigger? Because this is my first time ever noticing it.
00:23:58
Speaker
Yes. I was shaking to my core. Yep. because it's what they're focusing on it gets bigger and dramatic like they're in a musical or something amazing like by the last one it's bigger than miss darvis yes also did you ever stop this is the first time i watched this with closed captioning on because i am an old person now and but she it showed what she was talking about and she's talking about her summer in like the the shakespeare festival in asheville And she the understudy for every character. want to hear story. Why are we ignoring Miss Darvis? Wow.
00:24:35
Speaker
Give Miss Darvis her own DCOM. What's she doing? I would i love that. I want an origin story. High School Musical Zero. And it's about Darvis.
00:24:47
Speaker
Oh man, that so And Coach Bolton is there. ah we can learn why they hate each other. See, Disney, stop making Mufasa-like movies. This is the prequel we need. Yeah, please. I agree.
00:25:02
Speaker
I love it. It's true. I'm sorry. so it's true. This made me feel like, where is this where where are these movies, Disney? Why are you not making stuff like this? Yeah, it was so much better back then.
00:25:13
Speaker
They just didn't care so much what people thought. They just made the movie they wanted to make. Yep. And that's what we wanted. Yeah, like this stuff is great. I think I think like people today would eat this up if they made stuff like this of all ages people. Oh, yeah. Yes.
00:25:30
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I think we're due for another decom musical that is not Descendants. No hate to Descendants because i actually like it. But like, yeah but we need another musical franchise. Yeah, it's time.
00:25:42
Speaker
Agree. um I would love to pivot and talk about um how Troy has never done anything wrong ever and his friends suck. I've never hated Taylor and Chad more than rewatching this film.
00:25:58
Speaker
yeah They're the worst. And Taylor especially is making everything worse. She is like picking fights and instigating stuff all throughout the movie. She is an instigator for sure. Yes.
00:26:10
Speaker
I was like, I guess they had to give her some sort of personality. i don't know. They gave her some more stuff to do. I don't know. i don' Yeah. Yeah. ah Do not like her. ah No.
00:26:23
Speaker
And like this entire plot, like, Things are happening to Troy. Like, all this pressure's on Troy, and he's trying to deal with it the best he can, and his friends get mad at him for being successful.
00:26:34
Speaker
And he's like, I'm sorry, I didn't do anything to, like, try to get this. I'm just going along with the punches. And they're like, you suck. And he's like, but I'm not doing anything wrong. And then he apologizes?
00:26:46
Speaker
He didn't do anything wrong. Well, they all wanted these summer jobs so badly. Like they're whining and then he gets offered one. He gets them the jobs. And then they're like, this is stupid. We don't like Fulton. We don't want to work anymore. We didn't know it'd be hard.
00:27:01
Speaker
And they're all mad at Troy. They're like, quit. That was his fault. Exactly. should not have taken responsibility for all of the employees not getting to perform.
00:27:11
Speaker
That was Sharpay. And he's like, I ruined your show, guys. I'm like, what did you do other than agree to sing with Sharpay? And that's it. That's all you did.
Exploring Fan Theories
00:27:22
Speaker
Yep.
00:27:23
Speaker
Yep. Oh, Troy. And then they also try to redeem Sharpay at the end. And you're like, no, no, no, and no. She has not apologized for any of her actions. Right.
00:27:35
Speaker
She showed a, like, ah a glimmer of remorse. Yeah, there there was a tiny bit, a tiny bit. We saw, like, the real Ashley Tisdale for, like, half a second. For her brother, not for anybody else.
00:27:46
Speaker
No, and she says Troy's a really nice guy and she likes him better than she likes herself. She's just speaking truth there, so.
00:27:55
Speaker
Last thing here that I think we need to talk about. ah What was up with the swapping shirts thing between Chad and ah Lucas? What's his name? right ri is Ryan.
00:28:07
Speaker
Yeah. Luke G. Yeah. I don't know, though. I don't know what what what was up with that. Well, have you have you heard the theory that like they're in a relationship together secretly during this movie?
00:28:21
Speaker
Have you heard this theory? Chad and Ryan? I have not heard that theory. Explain. Okay, so I don't know if you've noticed the tension in the I Don't Dance scene, but there's tension.
00:28:36
Speaker
And then after that song is over, they have switched outfits and they're real buddy-buddy eating lunch together. I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying that the internet has opinions about maybe the subtext of that.
00:28:50
Speaker
Yeah. so I mean was curious about it because it was weird. and I made a comment to Nick, my husband, and I was like, why the heck did they change outfits?
00:29:01
Speaker
and He said that apparently, because my husband plays sports, he's like super in the sports world. He was like, that's a thing, actually. At the end of certain sports, it's not all sports, you swap your shirt with the other team as a sign of respect.
00:29:15
Speaker
Yes. but They swapped shirts, hats, pants, shoes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, you swap, but it's not... Yeah.
00:29:26
Speaker
Yeah. It's not like this. The swap is weird, yeah. It's really weird. Yeah. And I guess... I mean, it is like... That whole number is like...
00:29:40
Speaker
it's it's pretty flirtatious it's pretty flirtatious it's coming up on Harry and Descendants 2 level sexual tension mean it's there they're like it's true they're like kinda they're like cause they're like really close to each other's face they're like smirking at each other like I don't know.
00:30:04
Speaker
i don't know if I agree with the internet, but it's something to think But then in High School Musical 3, he's like back with Taylor because in 1 and 3, he's all about Taylor. Because it was summer fling, Gabby. It's like he doesn't even notice her.
00:30:15
Speaker
ah Yeah. yeah Yeah, you're right. There is nothing in this with him and her. yeah Yeah. Okay. I'm buying it. I'm in on this now. Yeah, I mean, I could see it.
00:30:25
Speaker
Let us know what you think listeners, but yeah it's a compelling argument. I know the actor Lucas wanted his character to be gay and like had he been advocating for that and they said no in the end. So maybe he was like, I'm going a direction. I've chosen in a direction. Yeah. And Kenny said no, no, no.
00:30:44
Speaker
Yeah, interesting. Okay, yeah last question I have. What does this movie mean to both of you two? Because I know this franchise is like you're all your everything.
00:30:56
Speaker
Oh, what does it mean to me?
00:31:01
Speaker
i don't know. I guess it's one of those movies where I i can, um like even watching it today, I was thinking about who did I see this with? Where was I? it and it really, i it's very clear to me. And, you know, there's very few.
00:31:17
Speaker
I think things like that where i I can be like, oh, my gosh, I saw this with so and so I was doing this. I remember talking about it with this this person. And then, ah yeah, that's I think it's it had that kind of impact on on me.
00:31:33
Speaker
ah Yeah, it really did. that's a very rare thing. Yeah, I agree. It's like a snapshot of, I guess, nostalgia.
00:31:44
Speaker
Like, I also can remember exactly where I was when I watched the first one, the second one, and the third one. too. I saw the third one in theaters because I was that person. Yeah, me too. Me too.
00:31:57
Speaker
Yeah. Open and light. Man. Yeah. it's It's like this piece of my childhood that's ah very, like, easy to call back. Yeah.
00:32:09
Speaker
I mean, I can remember the high school musical show at California Adventure. And yet yeah.
00:32:19
Speaker
And I, like I got, I remember I like got called up and I was like, cause they would bring up ah like audience members and I was in it. Brilliant. I mean, come on. Yeah. But it's that kind of thing. It's that there are not, I don't know. There's not many things that come along that you can have this specific of a ah connection with and know exactly like you were saying, Natalie, like you, you know where you were, you know,
00:32:44
Speaker
what you were doing the the night that this came out. Yeah. Really cool. who Yeah.
Critics' and Audience Reactions
00:32:50
Speaker
Love it. Gabby, what did the rest of the world think of this movie? Because clearly we, we like it.
00:32:56
Speaker
Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah, so, okay, we'll start with our tomato meter because we go over to Rotten Tomatoes to see what the critics thought. And then we have the popcorn meter, which is what our audience thought.
00:33:08
Speaker
And we love to read some of the funny and, ah you know, positive negative reviews. So our tomato meter, we actually have this week by a long shot. So, yeah, everyone rated this movie.
00:33:20
Speaker
Of course. So the tomato meter doesn't always exist because you need at least five critics reviews to have one. And you don't always get that with the DCOMs. But with this one, we had 24 critic reviews.
00:33:33
Speaker
Oh, yeah. And they rated it 83%. Good. Good. Respect. Pretty good. Yep. So I'm going to read you a few of their reviews now. We are starting with Eric Jenkins.
00:33:45
Speaker
He says, 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. Agreed. Nice review.
00:33:56
Speaker
Wow. Mm-hmm. Then we have Gordon Farrar. It's an irrepressibly colorful and upbeat effort, and the result is Grease meets Fame meets Annette Funicello and Elvis Presley, but for 8 to 12-year-olds.
00:34:11
Speaker
but Yeah. Uh... Uh... Uh... ah ah I mean, that's a lot of words, but sure. It was hard for me to read that one.
00:34:25
Speaker
weird. So many, so many concepts. Okay, then we we do have a negative one because, you know, I got to be fair here. ah OC Register Staff says, 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.
00:34:48
Speaker
Disagree strongly, sir? Sounds like you need a hug. ah Seriously. Here we are. We're literally talking about our emotional connection to this film.
00:35:01
Speaker
So, yeah. you're wrong. so he's I had to be fair. Wrong, OC Register. Nope. I just read an OC Register article the other day about the California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, and I was like, I disagree with most of this.
00:35:17
Speaker
So... Wow. Unreliable Sounds like they have a stick up their butt. They hate Disney. You heard it here first.
00:35:27
Speaker
We need to go combat them on Rotten Tomatoes. Okay. Finally, from our critics, we have Michael Fairbanks. It's a goofy summer romp that knows exactly what it is and relishes in that. yeah Sure.
00:35:39
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I could agree. Okay. Our popcorn meter is slightly disappointing, but we have to remember it is the second one. It's 72%. That should be way higher.
00:35:51
Speaker
Yeah. I agree. There's the haters coming in are saying, this is the worst movie I've ever seen. you're like, give give me more. Give me context. Yeah, that's definitely. Don't you like joy?
00:36:02
Speaker
yeah That's haters for sure.
Cast Updates and Career Moves
00:36:05
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I think you guys will appreciate some of the more negative comments though, so let's dive in. um Peter S. starting an off a little sad.
00:36:13
Speaker
Good for what it is, but rough watching now that I'm older. Well, that's sad for you, Peter. Well, that is sad for him because I had a wonderful time. Same. Then we have Unnamed says, beautiful music. Zac Efron's choreography in the bed on it scene was so beautiful, I even shed a tear.
00:36:32
Speaker
ah Yeah. Yeah. Perfect. Okay, this one's my favorite. It's technically negative, but we'll have fun. Let's take High School Musical, make it during summer break, and create unnecessary sexual tension while playing baseball. That's it. That's all you need to know about this movie.
00:36:49
Speaker
Hey, said it was the simple plot. We're not the only ones. He described it one sentence. He gets Yeah. Yeah. Yep, yep, yep. And finally, Joshua C says, the sequel to High School Musical serves as the magnum opus of the series.
00:37:06
Speaker
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 of the three, and it's not even close.
00:37:18
Speaker
Okay. Wow. Wow. Big words. come for High School Musical 3 like that. i should Max, what is your favorite High School Musical? e
00:37:31
Speaker
I guess, you know, like one, I feel like just did it. i don't know. It's hard to, it's hard. You know, that's really tough. I think the music i think i think the music in two is is the winner.
00:37:45
Speaker
ah ah do. I think musically, but one I think is. Thank you for coming on this podcast, Max. um It's been a pleasure and yeah goodbye.
00:37:58
Speaker
Gabby, what is your favorite High School Musical? I don't know. I'm kind of with Max. It's so hard to choose. I want to say the first because it's the original. It's a classic. I think the third is the best made and the second is the most nostalgic. So I have like a category for each.
00:38:12
Speaker
I kind of felt feel that. Yeah. Fine. I'll respect that. I was forced to choose, I'd probably say the first only because I don't feel right about the saying the second and I don't feel that way about the third because it came out later.
00:38:28
Speaker
The third one makes me cry. love I love them all. Wonderful movies. It's tough. yeah So I guess I'd go with number one too, but, uh, All right. That's allowed.
00:38:39
Speaker
So Natalie, where are they now? Slash also, we've heard this before, but I've forgotten. So refresh my memory. Fair. Yes. So we've covered most of this cast in our episode about the first High School Musical movie.
00:38:51
Speaker
um But I did kind of a quick little recap rundown, tried to just do the most recent things. um So if you want a more in-depth information, you can go to the old ah High School Musical 1 episode. But here we go.
00:39:05
Speaker
So Zac Efron, the love of my life, obviously, played Troy Bolton. um He continued to be active in the film world. Recently, he portrayed wrestler Kevin Von Erich in the biographical film The Iron Claw, which has been praised highly. So um I am afraid to watch it because people say it'll make you cry and it's kind of bloody, but apparently he's excellent in it.
00:39:32
Speaker
He like looks completely transformed. like He's ripped. He looks like a wrestler. You're like, what is happening? Anyway, I should probably watch it. um And then he's also been focused on some like influencer work recently. So promoting products and causes that he personally believes in, like Kodiak Cakes and a couple of like high fashion brands. he's doing He's doing influencer stuff these days. Yeah, yeah.
00:39:55
Speaker
Then we have Vanessa Hudgens, who played Gabriela. um She co-hosted the Met Gala in 2022, which I did not know, but good for her. Cool. um Nice. She also appeared in the film adaption of Tick, Tick, Boom, the musical, which she was fantastic in.
00:40:10
Speaker
Really? Yep. Yes. have you Gabby, you have to watch Tick, Tick, Boom. It's honestly one of my favorite movies. It's amazing. it's oh Okay, I'm convinced. Great. yeah good yeah um She also starred in the Princess Switch franchise, which is this ridiculous Hallmark-y good time. and She also co-produced.
00:40:29
Speaker
I have not seen them. but I've seen previews and I think that is perhaps all I need to see. ah come on. No. need more. Have you seen them? Yeah.
00:40:40
Speaker
All of them? How many are there? I don't know. there's like three or four. Wow. how How did that happen? Who greenlit that? Probably Vanessa Hudgens.
00:40:53
Speaker
Probably. she's producing it, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Let's go. All right. Ashley Tisdale, I wear Sharpay. She mainly does voice work now, um but she stays busy as well.
00:41:05
Speaker
In September of 2024, she and her husband welcomed to their second child to their family. So she's doing social media stuff, hanging out with her family, doing some voice work in between.
00:41:16
Speaker
She's doing great. yeah um And then we have Lucas G. Is it Gabriel? I've always said Grabeel. I don't know. That's it. gra beal so Okay, Lucas Gabriel. I literally can't say it.
00:41:32
Speaker
Lucas Grabeel. Oh my god. Okay. Ryan.
00:41:37
Speaker
the gray radio grey yeah um my god okay ryan um He has continued acting, kind of, but mainly focuses on attending fan expos and his own original music.
00:41:52
Speaker
His newest release was a single called You Were My Childhood, and he calls it his love letter to all High School Musical fans, cast, and crew. So we all need to listen to that immediately.
00:42:03
Speaker
ah wow. Did not know that. was in High School Musical the series as well. yes he was. He jumped on there real quick. um He's also in a long-term relationship with Riham El-Unsi.
00:42:18
Speaker
I'm so sorry if I said that wrong. I tried really hard to write the pronunciation down and I can't read my own notes. um She's a television writer and producer and she also seems awesome. So I love that. Nice. Wonderful.
00:42:29
Speaker
i I'm not going to lie, I didn't know if that was a man or a woman's name, so I was like on the edge of my seat like, oh my gosh, wait, I didn't know was gay. He's not. ah Okay, okay, well.
00:42:40
Speaker
Okay, I still got more to go Here we go. Okay, Corbin Bleu, who played basketball boy Chad, he has kept himself busy. he is mainly active in theater. He starred on Broadway in productions like Kiss Me Kate, Anything Goes, other stuff. He's an excellent tap dancer, if you did not know.
00:42:57
Speaker
course he is. Yeah, he's super talented. He's so talented. I love me some Zephyr on, so I would like to make that clear. But I do think Corbin Bleu might be the most talented person in this franchise.
00:43:10
Speaker
um Was he on Dancing with the Stars? Must ask. Was he? i don't know. don't know. feel like he might have been. Well, now I have to look it up. I saw Corbin Bleu in something in LA last last year Oh, yeah. ah He did um Eye to eye He did a rendition of I'll Make a Man Out of You and all that.
00:43:33
Speaker
It was the, the like, a oh, that's what it was. 80s, 90s Disney concert. Oh! And he did the dance, didn't he? He was legit the best one on that stage. It was i but incredible.
00:43:47
Speaker
yeah He was on Dancing with the Stars. Correct. Of course he was, because there's always one. Yeah. Every single episode of this podcast, we're like, and this person was not dancing with the stars. fun little fact that it's not really important, but it was funny to me.
00:44:07
Speaker
He has been happily married to a Canadian actress named Sasha Clements since July 2016. They met by chance at a grocery store, um and they got engaged in front of Cinderella's castle at Walt Disney World, and I just thought that was so cute.
00:44:21
Speaker
Aww. Stop, I love it. I know. um So he's clearly a Disney fan. I got two more. Monique Coleman, our bestie Taylor, who's also kind of the worst. Not Monique is the worst, but Taylor's the worst. I would like to make that clear.
00:44:35
Speaker
um She is mainly focused on advocacy these days. She serves as a United Nations youth champion and she produces content aimed at empowering young people. um She does some acting work now and again.
00:44:49
Speaker
She recently starred in a Lifetime movie called Trapped in the Spotlight, which is about like... um an R&B singer who gets kidnapped. It sounds terrifying, but she's probably good at it.
00:45:00
Speaker
um And in her free time, she ice skates and says that that is her new artistic passion. So she does a lot of ice skating videos. Amazing. Wow. Cool. know, right? People are living such cool lives these days.
00:45:12
Speaker
And lastly, we didn't talk about our girl Kelsey in the first episode. um So she gets a segment today, but I have no idea how to say her name. So bear with me. Alyssa Rulon?
00:45:25
Speaker
Olesa? Alyssa? Sure. Right. I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's got- Yeah. Uh-huh. She's got an interesting name. A beautiful name that I can't say because I'm me. But anyway, she hasn't been acting much recently, but that does not mean that she hasn't been staying busy because in November 2021, she married an entrepreneur and the couple had a daughter 2022.
00:45:46
Speaker
She is currently an acting coach, which is so fun. And she also actively is involved in promoting sustainable living and sustainable fashion. um Just recently in February of 2025, she participated in a panel discussion at the project show in Las Vegas, where she talked all about conscious consumerism.
00:46:06
Speaker
And I think that's really cool. Look at... Wow. Look at her. plus for her. know. It's always fun to see. Like, I love seeing people keep acting and, like, keep, you know, busy and blessed.
00:46:19
Speaker
But I also love seeing the other things people do after yeah childhood acting, you know?
Next Movie Selection: 'Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'
00:46:25
Speaker
Definitely. i think I like those more. Yeah. It's always intriguing when it's like, they're a lawyer now. And you're like, what?
00:46:31
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. That's really neat. Good for her. Anyway, i agree that's where they are now. Thanks, Natalie. That was so very interesting. Like way to make it work, even though we already had heard of them before. I feel like I learned so many new things. I know. I tried to add in facts we didn't mention last time.
00:46:46
Speaker
Yeah. Good stuff. Now it's time for us to look to next week. We always use a random number generator to help us pick what movie we're going to be watching and talking about next week. But since we have Max here this week, we thought it would be fun If you be our random number generator, how do you feel about that?
00:47:04
Speaker
All right. What do I do? You're going to randomly generate a number. Yep. Yep. So we have a list of 117 DCOMs that we are watching for this podcast. That's how many they've made.
00:47:15
Speaker
And ah we don't include ones that we've watched before or sequels to movies that we haven't yet seen. So basically pick a number between one and 117 and we'll see which one it is. And that's what we'll watch next week.
00:47:29
Speaker
77, 77, 77. Okay. All right. Let me look at our list. I'm weirdly nervous. Okay. Oh, no. Don't be nervous. It's fantastic. This is a wonderful idea.
00:47:42
Speaker
Max, you have selected for us Wizards of Waverly Place, the movie. Whoa. Wow. wow came out in 2009. I vaguely remember this. whoa Deep in my psyche. This is trending so hard right now. I don't know if it's like a Selena thing or like a TikTok thing. Yeah, because the new Wizards show came out. So everyone is talking about this Oh, cool.
00:48:04
Speaker
Look at that. Yeah. Hey, i did good. This is great. I don't remember this plot at all, but I know I've seen it at least once. Yeah. I'm guessing Alex is very sarcastic. Also, doesn't this take place in Hawaii also?
00:48:17
Speaker
This is another summer movie. Oh my gosh, does. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow. Wow. It's great. I don't want it to be winter, so now I can pretend like it's not. Well, this has been fantastic.
00:48:28
Speaker
I've literally had so much fun with you, Max. Thanks for coming on the podcast. Yeah, this was ah this was a blast, honestly. I could you know i could sit here and and and talk about this for hours probably. but if If the podcasts were more than 45 minutes, you know what? We'd probably still keep talking.
00:48:46
Speaker
We didn't even get into like the deep psychological conversations today. Normally we do, and those can go on forever. Right, all right. We could dive deep into, Zac Efron, but Troy Bolton's psyche.
00:48:59
Speaker
Anyway, that's another podcast. Why Gabriela feels like breaking up is always the right answer. Always the solution. Because she's 16 and her frontal lobe is not developed yet. That's why. i mean, honestly, yes.
00:49:12
Speaker
Also, her at the first sign of trouble she runs all the time, that's not sustainable for a good relationship. No. She's running in like she's leaving for war. that that She was like, I mean. i felt slightly overlooked. I'm out.
00:49:28
Speaker
Yeah, i don't know. All their problems are solved by song, and that's beautiful. Isn't that what it's all about at the end of the day, you know? It's true.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:49:39
Speaker
And on that note, I hope you guys have a great week. Watch Wizards of Waverly plays to the movie, and we'll see you next week.
00:49:46
Speaker
And go check out Max on YouTube, Mr. Cheesy Pop. Woo! Thanks. All right, bye, everybody. Thank you all so much for listening to this episode of Once Upon a DCOM. Like what you just heard? Leave us a rating and review. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
00:50:02
Speaker
Also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at onceuponadcom.podcast and share this podcast with your Disney-loving friends. A big thanks to Gabby for editing this whole podcast together. Thanks, Fran.
00:50:13
Speaker
And don't forget to subscribe because there's always a new episode on the way. This is Gabriela. And Natalie. Signing off with a sprinkle of pixie dust. And a whole lot of nostalgia.