Monday Mouse Watch : Is Disney milking it a bit too much with its “High School Musical” franchise ?

Jim Hill

17 years ago

Good God. Has it really been less than a year and a half since “High School Musical” originally debuted on the Disney Channel ?

Back in January of 2006, Mouse House execs were just hoping that they hadn’t wasted any of their promotional money on the innovative campaign that they’d mapped out for this Disney Channel Original movie. I mean, it’s one thing to introduce the cast of “High School Musical” as part of that basic cable channel’s New Year’s Eve special. But quite another to blow tens of thousands of dollars on signs for bus shelters & mall kiosks that advertised free downloads of this TV musical’s anthem, “Breaking Free.”

But — in the end — this was clearly money well spent. For “High School Musical” went on to become a genuine phenomenon. The TV movie itself racked up record ratings. Then the “High School Musical” soundtrack went quadruple platinum and would eventually become the # 1 album of the year. As for the DVD version of “High School Musical” DVD, it became the best selling TV movie of 2006, moving 7.2 million units worldwide.

And let’s not forget “High School Musical: The Concert.” Which set off on a 40-city tour on November 30, 2006 and then proceeded to sell out enormous venues like the Toyota Center in Houston.

Mind you, this doesn’t take into account the more-than-a-1000 really-for-real high schools around the country that licensed the stage rights to this Emmy-Award winning TV movie in the past year. Or — better yet — the professional stage version of “High School Musical” that Disney Theatrical is sending out on the road later this month. Which will first preview at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre in Detroit & Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts before officially opening at Chicago’s LaSalle Bank Theatre.

All this. Plus the “High School Musical Pep Rally” theme park attraction. Plus the DVD board game. Plus the Troy & Gabriella dolls. Plus “High School Musical : The Ice Tour,” which will feature music from from both of these TV musicals.

Yep. You read that right. I said ” … both of these TV musicals.” As in: “High School Musical” and “High School Musical 2.”

And — as you might expect — even though we’re still more than two months away from the debut of this Disney Channel Original, the Mouse has already begun a promotional campaign for this new TV movie. One that obviously targets the millions of fans that the first “High School Musical” film had.

Take — for example — the High School Musical : The Concert (Which hits store shelves on June 26th).

“High School Musical” fans who purchase a copy of this disc will then get to see an exclusive preview of the sequel to this ridiculously popular TV musical. Mind you, it’s only a 30-second-long preview. But you do get to see Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens shooting “High School Musical 2” ‘s opening number, “What Time is It ?”

And what time is it as this new TV musical gets underway? Why, the end of the school year. And …

… East High School hoops star Troy Bolton, A-student Gabriella Montez and the rest of the “Wildcats” are getting ready for a summer vacation. But all that changes when scheming drama queen Sharpay Evans uses her dad’s connections to get Troy a job at their ritzy country club — and a chance at a college basketball scholarship. The catch ? He’ll have to turn his back on his friends and pair up with Sharpay in a musical extravaganza for the club’ annual talent show. But when Gabriella and the Wildcats start making plans without Troy, he must decide where his loyalties lie.

Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

You can find out even more about the plot of “High School Musical 2” by visiting the official website of this Disney Channel Original. As for the plot of “High School Musical 3” (Which is supposed to begin production this fall and then be released to theaters in October of 2008) … I’m told that it deals with Troy & Gabriella’s senior year.

Now where this gets interesting is that — depending on how well “High School Musical 2” does — Walt Disney Pictures is considering shooting “HSM3” in Digital 3D. With the hope that getting the chance to see the Wildcats dance in three dimensions might then be enough to entice “High School Musical” fans to come see this third musical in the series during its theatrical run. Rather than waiting for “High School Musical 3” to come out on DVD.

What’s that you say ? You think that the Walt Disney Company is really milking this whole “High School Musical” thing. Funny you should mention milk.

I know, I know. There are those of you who read JHM who will immediately dismiss “High School Musical” as being just a fad. Something that the tweens will eventually grow tired of and then move on to the next big thing. But consider this : Just last month, the Latin American tour of “High School Musical : The Concert” was selling out 50,000 seat stadiums. And the only other groups to ever sell out these venues were U2 and the Rolling Stones.

And all of this — the best-selling CDs & DVDs, the sold-out concert tours, the hot theater tickets as well as the eagerly awaited ice show — comes on the back of a TV movie that only cost $5 million to produce.

Oh, sure. Capt. Jack Sparrow hauls in a lot of loot with his “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. But given that the combined production & promotion costs of “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End” are reportedly to be over $650 million … The profit-to-pay-out ratio on those Jerry Bruckheimer productions isn’t as quite as great as you might think.

Whereas the “High School Musical” franchise (According to folks that I’ve spoke with within the Walt Disney Company) has already generated well north of a hundred million dollars worth of pure profit for the Mouse House. With tens of millions more yet to come off of the sale of “High School Musical 2” DVDs & soundtrack CDs, “Ice Tour” tickets, plus all of those licensing fees from both the professional & amateur versions.

Which you have to admit is pretty good for a show that got its start by giving away free music downloads on bus shelter signs.

But what do you folks ? Do you think that the Mouse is “milking” it a bit too much with its “High School Musical” franchise ? Or do you applaud the Walt Disney Company for taking the ball and running with it here ? Cashing in on this TV musical in every way possible ?

Your thoughts ?