‘High School Musical’ Turns 15: A Look Back at the Humble Origins of Disney Channel’s Billion-Dollar Franchise
variety.comKenny Ortega had directed a string of “Ally McBeal” and “Gilmore Girls” episodes, but what he really wanted to was return to making movies.So he asked his agents to keep an eye out for a TV movie, something “under the radar” that would allow him to quietly flex his filmmaking chops as he slid behind the camera for his first feature since 1993’s “Hocus Pocus.” (And before that, he’d directed another cult Disney favorite, the 1992 musical “Newsies.”)The script that caught his eye, a Disney Channel Original Movie with the working title “Untitled High School Musical Project,” became a phenomenon despite Ortega’s desire to keep a low-profile.“High School Musical” was the rare made-for-TV movie that transcended its humble origins and captivated a.
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