She explains that she has just moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and transferred to East High School over the break. Returning to school after break, Troy sees Gabriella in his homeroom. The two are called upon to sing a duet together for karaoke ("Start of Something New"). On New Year's Eve, high school juniors Troy Bolton ( Zac Efron) and Gabriella Montez ( Vanessa Hudgens) meet at a ski lodge party during winter break.
The film's success spawned a media franchise and series of sequels, High School Musical 2 (2007) and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008), with the latter being a theatrical release.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, but was praised by TV audiences upon its debut. The film's soundtrack was also successful as it peaked at number one in the United States, with " Breaking Free" reaching number four.
Internationally, the film has also seen considerable success as of 2019, over 225 million viewers have watched High School Musical. In the U.S., High School Musical generated 7.7 million viewers in its premiere broadcast, which is one of the highest the network has generated.
Upon its release on January 20, 2006, as part of Disney Channel’s Gotta Sing Gotta Dance Week block, it became the most commercially successful Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) ever produced. Additional scenes were filmed in Los Angeles. Principal photography for High School Musical took place in Utah, with East High School and Murray High School used as locations, as well as Salt Lake City. Sharpay and Ryan both seek to sabotage the friendship and romance between Troy and Gabriella and gain the leads in the school musical. Despite other students' attempts to thwart their dreams, Troy and Gabriella aim to resist peer pressure and rivalry and wish to inspire others along the way not to "stick to the status quo." However, they have to battle high school diva Sharpay Evans ( Ashley Tisdale) and her twin brother Ryan ( Lucas Grabeel). Together, they try out for the lead parts in their high school musical, and this causes division among all the school's students. The protagonists are Troy Bolton ( Zac Efron), a basketball team captain, and Gabriella Montez ( Vanessa Hudgens), a shy transfer student excelling in math and science. With a plot described by the author and numerous critics as a modern adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, High School Musical is a story about two high school juniors from rival stereotypical cliques. It is the first installment in the High School Musical franchise. High School Musical is a 2006 American musical television film written by Peter Barsocchini and directed by Kenny Ortega.