High School Musical takes over the world

LOS ANGELES, Feb 9: Wherever you live in the world, it seems, you can't escape ''High School Musical,'' a television movie about school angst in the difficult ''tween'' years.

The Walt Disney Co. blockbuster aimed at kids in the 8 to 12 age group has been a hit on television around the world, spawned a sold-out concert tour and a merchandising frenzy, and the soundtrack was the top-selling CD of last year.

Disney plans to release a TV sequel, ''High School Musical 2,'' this summer and yesterday announced it was taking the franchise to the big screen in 2008, when it will release ''Haunted High School Musical.'' The television movie was made for a modest 4.2 million dollars and was just one of many made-for-TV Disney movies, but previews on the Disney Channel started a buzz in playgrounds and on the Internet.

By the time of its US premiere in January last year, its ratings were in orbit. Disney says the franchise will contribute 100 million dollars to profit in 2006 and 2007.

The themes of the TV musical -- loosely based on William Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'' and featuring a high school jock and a science nerd as star-crossed lovers -- have resonated with kids everywhere.

The catchy pop songs, diverse cast and Disney's powerful marketing machine have all helped fuel global appeal in what is a lucrative ''tween'' market.

''Tweens'' spend on average about billion a year in the United States, with parents and family members buying another 170 billion dollarsfor them, according to Alloy Media + Marketing's Web site (http://360Youth.com).

The success of ''High School Musical'' also reflects Disney's adeptness at turning a title into a franchise across television, music, merchandise, partnerships and now film. ''Disney has created brands across the board. That's why their CDs are on the charts,'' said entertainment lawyer Fred Goldring of the law firm Goldring, Hertz and Lichtenstein.

But Rich Ross, president of Disney Channel Worldwide, said the television movie, which hits on the universal themes of peer pressure in a way that grabs the audience with fun music and dance numbers, was the the best selling point.

''It hit such a chord globally that it showed we had a secret weapon -- the movie,'' he said.

Internationally, ''High School Musical'' has aired on 26 Disney Channels and free-to-air broadcasters, reaching over 100 countries, including Australia, Britain, India, Poland and Brazil.

Disney has said it was working on a Bollywood feature film starring actors from India and Indian-flavored versions of the songs. It also said it was considering reshooting the TV movie musical for Latin markets with Spanish-speaking actors.

Ross said the company was mindful of creating a similar buzz ahead of the movie's release overseas, distributing the film's popular song ''Breaking Free'' in various languages like French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese to prepare fans in those markets.

''The familiarity with the subject matter is clear, but in certain non-English speaking countries, we needed to make sure there was a heightened connection,'' Ross said.

In the United States, the success of the soundtrack and other Disney releases like the ''Hannah Montana'' television series soundtrack, in an otherwise gloomy year for the music business, has caused various record labels to re-examine the tween market, after traditionally steering clear of it.

Warner Music Group Corp's Warner Bros. label this week released an album by ''High School Musical'' co-star Ashley Tisdale.

''We don't usually specialize in pure pop music, but kids connected with Ashley Tisdale in such a spectacular way, and we saw this as an an opportunity to grow her audience,'' said Lori Feldman, senior vice president of strategic marketing for Warner Bros Records.

Feldman, a mother, said she experienced firsthand the reaction to ''High School Musical.'' ''This mania was in my house and I became very exposed to how kids reacted. When I heard Ashley could be available for a record deal, I dove right in,'' she said.

REUTERS