High School Musical 2

I will admit that the second entry in Disney's High School Musical ‘tween movie phenomenon turned out to be far more charming than I expected. What's not to like about sweet-faced kids singing and dancing their little hearts out about adolescent love, coupled with the joy of putting on a talent show? Golly, it's like something out of the pastel-colored, cheerfully innocent early 1960s—the Mousketeers resurrected! In this winning sequel, 11th-grade lovebirds Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) have scored choice summer jobs at a local country club, but little do they realize that all of this has been arranged by the alpha hottie of their class, the hilariously named Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale), who wants Troy for her very own. Of course, even putative villain Sharpay isn't really a bad kid—she's just a little bit less friendly, good-natured, and enthusiastic than the rest. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this “extended edition” include a spectacular Hawaiian-themed musical number that did not appear in the TV version, a fascinating behind-the-scenes featurette on how the dancers rehearsed their big numbers, bloopers, and a karaoke feature. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning film.] (M. Johanson)[DVD Review—Oct. 14, 2008—Walt Disney, 2 discs, 111 min., not rated, $34.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 2007's High School Musical 2 (2-Disc Deluxe Dance Edition) offers an expanded extras package that includes 36 minutes of “Rehearsal Cam” footage, a half-hour scrapbook with featurettes, a “making-of” featurette on the “Humuhumunukunukuapua'a” song/scene (6 min.), an exclusive bonus scene (5 min.), deleted scenes (4 min.), bloopers (4 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette of “Cast Favorites” (4 min.), an “On-Location” featurette (4 min.), an “In the Kitchen” set tour (4 min.), 23 music videos from the soundtrack, a sing-along option with karaoke lyrics, a dance-along instructional option, a photo gallery, a “Who's That Baby?” quiz, a sneak peek at High School Musical 3, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a re-release primed to coincide with the upcoming big screen arrival of HSM3.]