Disney Channel has delivered several musicals, but most have gone on to produce sequels. While some franchises have grown into massive successes, others quietly disappeared as time went on, mostly looked back at as nostalgia. All the Disney Channel musical series have strived to tell a story beyond just singing. But, some, whether in audience reception or portrayal of their stories, have come out more potent than others. For example, High School Musical blew up when it premiered in 2006, even gaining a theatrical third film and a spinoff series for Disney+ years later. Which proved that High School Musical has a firm place in Disney Channel's history.
While Camp Rock was big at the time of its release, it is mainly recalled in the present time due to jokes rather than the movies themselves. The Descendants and Zombies trilogies wanted to tell more significant stories than a hero and villain dynamic. Teen Beach Movie had one of the most original premises, but could it follow through in the end? But, The Cheetah Girls may have been the franchise that kick-started Disney's reign of musicals. So, which franchise had the biggest impact, most original concept, or most significant stories to tell?
6 Camp Rock
The first film tries to discuss individuality in creating music, as many of the movie's central characters have vastly different performances in the Final Jam. It also portrays Mitchie's uncertainty about her place at the camp once she realizes many other campers come from money. In some ways, Camp Rock emulates A Cinderella Story, with popstar Shane Gray overhearing Mitchie's ballad but does not walk in quickly enough to catch the singer, which has him intrigued as to who the mystery musician is.
But, while Camp Rock wanted to separate itself from the random song performances that High School Musical had exhibited, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam leans heavily into the random musical aspect while desperately trying to keep itself afloat. The central theme seems lost, and the heart of the movie does not become apparent until its final minutes, as Mitchie's stress toward winning a competition removes her excitement for having fun at camp.
5 Zombies
While the quality of the Zombies franchise can be argued, from the presentation of the storyline to the unnecessary fourth-wall breaks, the trilogy gains points for attempting to discuss something bigger than the imminent issue at hand. Zed the Zombie may want to join the Seabrook High School football team, but the film's theme is inclusion and acceptance. Perfect Seabrook is not thrilled about Zombies joining their school, but throughout the first movie, they slowly start to accept them, with Addison as the first willing to lend an olive branch to Zed.
But, where the franchise falls apart is how the themes and characters tend to reset at the beginning of each sequel. Everyone has already learned about the importance of acceptance in Zombies, so why has everyone, including the zombies, forgotten those same values in Zombies 2 when werewolves show up? In Zombies 3, Aliens appear, and it is a similar struggle as everyone must once again re-learn the value of acceptance. It certainly does not help that Addison's identity crisis has her trying to blend in with every non-human group rather than explore her individuality.
4 Descendants
Where the Zombies trilogy does not quite hit the mark, the Descendants trilogy has a stronger hold on it. In this franchise, the apprehension and dislike between Auradon and the Isle of the Lost are far more understood, given the history between the classic Disney characters. It goes beyond the simplicity of fear that Zombies uses as a catalyst to be more about people themselves and a youthful take on immigration. With each movie, the villain kids and hero's children grow to understand the other side better without having to forget all they had learned in the previous film. While there may still be threats from the Isle of the Lost, there are plenty of villain kids hoping for a better life who did not deserve to be cast away due to their parent's actions.
Descendants 3 does not have Mal immediately forgive Uma in the face of a more significant threat. Instead, Mal, Carlos, Evie, and Jay are forced to team up with Uma, Hook, and Gil to stop Audrey from destroying Auradon. Throughout the movie, Mal and her friends realize that Uma, Hook, and Gil are not that different from when they first came to Auradon. They grow to find connections among each other, eventually finding allies and friendships.
3 Teen Beach Movie
The Teen Beach Movie duology scores higher for originality, as nothing else is like its premise. Surfer couple Mack and Brady are mysteriously transported into Brady's favorite movie, "Wet Side Story." But, they must get the ending back on track after the film's protagonists, Lela and Tanner, become attracted to them instead. Mack is more desperate to return home than Brady, given she will be late for a plane to her future if she remains stuck in a 1960s beach movie. But, Teen Beach Movie also scores points for showing the change in progressive women, from Lela's more subtle and passive approaches to Mack's more progressive mindset. Teen Beach Movie is also mainly about Mack accepting that she wants a different path than she initially agreed to.
Teen Beach 2 also scores in points for originality, even if its ending does not make that much sense. This time, Lela and Tanner escape their fictional reality to arrive in Mack and Brady's real world, experiencing school and technology beyond what they've ever known. However, just as its predecessor scores for creativity, the sequel also takes a big swing in its ending by undoing everything that occurred in both films. Lela, somehow, changes "Wet Side Story" to "Lela, Queen of the Beach," which undoes Mack and Brady's initial meeting and all the character development both leads went through up until the end of the sequel when they have a re-creation of their original introduction. While it may undo everything the audience had witnessed, it is undoubtedly different and thus should be acknowledged for taking such a different approach to its ending.
2 High School Musical
High School Musical succeeded in becoming a worldwide phenomenon. The original film went on to gain two sequels, a spinoff movie, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, and years later, Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Viewers proved how much High School Musical had succeeded when its sequel, High School Musical 2, became the most-watched Disney Channel Original Movie premiere and still holds the title over a decade later. High School Musical 3: Senior Year became a theatrical feature film. Each installment in the trilogy develops the characters further. However, the most that anyone does not grow is how Sharpay continues to be the villain in each film, contrasting how she seemingly buried the hatchet in each movie.
With each installment, the situations in Troy's life became more serious, and it was no longer just about singing versus basketball. Instead, it became about scholarships and potential colleges. What does it take to reach the future you want? Will your relationships stick around no matter what you decide? It is not just about the school musical anymore, but about life and how to reach those dreams and goals that can feel so far away or decisions that can set your life on course.
1 The Cheetah Girls
Galleria, Chanel, Aqua, and Dorinda helm the first official Disney Channel musical, becoming the first trilogy. The Cheetah Girls discusses the importance of inclusion, diversity, and sisterhood through its central characters and the conflicts they face trying to become professional musicians. Although certain elements remain a pattern, such as Galleria's behavior in the first two films, The Cheetah Girls 3: One World shows how distracted the other three can get without her.
While each film is better at something different, they all coincide with the overarching themes of friendship and chosen family, as well as the hardship of what it means to achieve your dreams and the potential sacrifices that need to be made.