Private: High School Musical 2: The Sensation Continues

I didn’t let my daughter watch Disney Channel’s made for TV movie High School for a long, long time. The name made me think that it was more appropriate for older kids than my 7 year old, and I was concerned about influences of inappropriate behavior.

After a lot of lobbying by my daughter, I agreed to watch it first, and if it was appropriate, let her watch it.

So I did watch and it’s an adorable show with catchy music and a good message about friendship and being true to yourself despite peer pressure. If you don’t live with someone in the target demographic, it has been a phenomenon among the tween set, ages 8-12.

So it was with great anticipation that we watched High School Musical 2, and I’m happy to report that it lived up to our high expectations. Troy, Gabriella, and the whole gang are back, and this time it is the end of the school year. Worried about college expenses, Troy needs to find a lucrative job, as do the rest of his friends.

Sibling theatre sensations Sharpay and Ryan have a summer to hang out at the country club that their parents own. Sharpay decides that to cement her role as the alpha female of the school, she needs to be coupled up with Troy Bolton, the male hero of the school, and she arranges for him to get a job at the country club.When her parents decide to hire all of her East High classmates, Sharpay sets out to steal Troy’s attention away from Gabriella by arranging a better paying job, new clothes, and promises of scholarship.

Troy has to decide where his loyalties lie and how to deal with the temptation of great personal gain, but at a price. A subplot has the East High gang preparing for the country club talent show that Sharpay has won ever since she started competing, and Sharpay’s schemes to get in their way.

Like in the first movie, the songs are catchy and fun, and the dance sequences make you want to jump up and try them yourself, no matter how ridiculous you look (ahem).The message is strong without being too preachy, and while saccharine sweet, it is refreshing to see a movie about high schoolers without sex, drugs, or violence, or even any bad language. Sharpay’s scheming plots are still fairly innocuous and the consequences show the trouble that can cause. My daughter and I have something we can bond over and she can also bond with her school friends about something I don’t object to, which is a rarity.My five year old boy and three year old girl also liked the movie so it gives them something they can share with their sister which is becoming more difficult as she ages.

We can’t wait until it comes out on DVD. If you have a tween, this is a fad in which you needn’t hesitate to indulge and you might even find yourself singing along!