subject: Reach For The Sky: High School Musical 3: Extended Edition [print this page] Admit it -- you've heard about High School Musical. In fact, chance are you're now heard about High School Musial 3: Extended Edition. And, chances are, even if you don't have kids -- or a pre-teen -- you've heard about High School Musical. It's like not having heard of Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. If you haven't left society to live in the woods, you've heard the inevitable pop culture reference to this made-for-TV epic.
Like all of its predecessors, High School Musical 3: Extended Edition has garnered unprecedented success. The various soundtracks from the various films have sold incredibly over the years. And, if that weren't enough, the show branched off into books, an ice show, a video game, and a stage musical. High School Musical 3: Extended Edition is such a hit that it has the distinction of becoming the first made-for-television movie with a theatrically released sequel: High School Musical: Senior Year.
Why is this series so darned fascinating? The story follows much of the classic fundamental structure familiar in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Two high school juniors from varying cliques "click" with one another as they secretly audition for their school's musical. Their backgrounds as basketball star and math whiz certainly do not lend themselves to performing in a musical. Their relationship and their auditioning prove to be disruptive elements within the school, and all sorts of devious behavior ensues.
The characters in this movie appeal to the preteen set largely because they are going through many of the same frustrations in finding themselves and then having the audacity to actually be themselves. The movie's message, to have the guts to override the status quo, is freeing to young people. And, of course, the music rocks!
The re-release of a High School Musical 3: Extended Edition includes some new bonus features. There are two music videos: "We're All in This Together" and the never-before seen "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." There is also a featurette giving instructions for copying the moves and a behind-the-scenes look at High School Musical 3: Extended Edition. For children in that hard preteen phase, this is a super DVD!
