33 incredible High School Musical throwback photos
"We're soaring, flying, there's not a star in Heaven that we can't reach."
High School Musical premiered 10 years ago this month — Jan. 20 to be exact; mark your calendars for a rewatch. The Disney Channel original proved to be wholesome, musical tween catnip, though it's probably fair to say no one saw the movie's success coming (or, at least, to its full extent).
Case in point: the cast's wardrobe. Here, your East High faves before a performance on the TODAY show, along with some guy from American Idol who looks like Chicken Little.
And seriously, look at the lacy trim on Monique Coleman's prairie skirt!
Monique did get to compete on Dancing With the Stars though, a reality TV competition gig that comes with all sorts of sequins and glitz. (She placed fourth.)
Fun fact: I used to own the jacket Zac Efron is wearing here (it's from Urban Outfitters, IIRC). Anyway the zipper broke after I wore it, like, twice; the point here is that I feel really close to ZEfron right now and that's lovely.
L–R: Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Vanessa Hudgens, and Zac "Puppy Dog Face" Efron attend a cast breakfast promotional event. It's not clear why Monique or Lucas Grabeel weren't invited, womp, womp (but maybe Sharpay took the batteries out of their alarm clocks).
Quick shout out for Vanessa's cardigan ... and for Ashley's fishnets.
Ashley, Zac, Vanessa, Lucas,and Monique at a HSM premiere after-party. Do you think they coordinated their shoes in East High's colors on purpose?
This is just so cute.
This is quite coquettish though. You do you, Vanessa.
Zac, Vanessa, Monique, and Ashley got to travel Down Under for a movie premiere. Here's Zac jumping for joy, I guess? Or just jumping because he can.
Still promoting the movie in Australia, here's Zac with one of his shoe's tongues hanging out. He did this a bunch for some reason; was this a thing in '06?!
Here we are on Total Request Live with Ashley. Also, distressingly distressed jeans.
And again, at a movie premiere (!) no less — for The Derby Stallion, a ZEfron movie-starring that came out in 2006 and, um, didn't prove to be as successful as High School Musical.
High School Musical won two trophies at the 2006 Creative Arts Awards, for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Children's Program. Like your junior high prom date — who was cute, don't get me wrong, but didn't try hard enough — Zac showed up in a sweater and tie set from Express.
He totes got down on the dance floor though. This is a strangely sexual photo, TBH.
Speaking of dancing and parties, here's Corbin, Vanessa, and Zac attending Ashley's 20th birthday party. (This is technically from October 2005 but warrants inclusion for Corbin's shirt alone.)
Here's Corbin in some other crazy shirts and statement belts. Bonus points for the snazzy cell phone, Corbin (and the statement charm pendant thing).
And here's Corbin in LEATHER PANTS, which I'm pretty sure aren't allowed for Disney Channel starlets, so who even know what's happening here?!
Meanwhile, here's Ashley in a fedora.
Ashley's hat game was hella strong, you know? She's pictured here with Vanessa at an ED HARDY event, which is a surefire way to put the whole "High School Musical is a decade old now" in context — because ED HARDY.
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