Disney’s ‘High School Musical’ turns 20

Disney’s teen hit film “High School Musical” (HSM) turned 20 this year, first airing on the Disney Channel on Jan. 20, 2006.

The teen pop soundtrack of a generation included New Year’s Eve duet “Start of Something New,” breakout classic “Breaking Free” and nostalgic dance anthem “We’re All In This Together.”

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In 2025, the “High School Musical” album reached over 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Zac Efron

The film and franchise played a massive role in the careers of its stars Zac Efron (Troy Bolton), Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella Montez) and Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay Evans).

Zac Efron has since appeared in films ranging from romcoms like “New Year’s Eve” to heartbreaking dramas like “The Iron Claw,” among others.

Vanessa Hudgens

Fil-Am actress and “The Princess Switch” star Vanessa Hudgens became a Global Tourism Ambassador for the Philippines and recently welcomed her second child with husband Cole Tucker in late 2025.

Ashley Tisdale-French

Ashley Tisdale, the iconic voice of Candace in “Phineas & Ferb,” now goes by Ashley French.

“It was time for people to know me for me,” she shared explaining the change in late 2025, having been married for over a decade.

To celebrate the milestone, Disney introduced special HSM merchandise, including limited-edition collector dolls of characters Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay.

Disney+ also ran a dedicated Stream of HSM content on Jan. 7, which was available to premium subscribers in the US. This included all HSM films, spinoff film “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure” and all seasons of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” starring Fil-Am pop superstar Olivia Rodrigo.

Disney’s “High School Musical” is available to stream on Disney+.

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