The High School Musical franchise is known for multiple things: being one of Disney’s most successful movie series, the launch of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens’ careers, and most notably delivering the musical number we didn’t deserve, “I Want it All” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Throughout the trilogy, the movies presented a list of unforgettable tunes. Whether Troy Bolton is frolicking through a golf field singing “Bet On It,” or Gabriella Montez is belting “When There Was Me and You”—capturing pure teenage heartbreak before Olivia Rodrigo made an album out of it—many of its songs go down in history for their upbeat rhythms and catchy lyrics. But “I Want it All” brought forth a new level of invigorating song and dance that Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel poured their hearts and souls into.
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High School Musical’s final installment was the only movie to be released in theaters, and with its eminence, its musical numbers only deserved to be viewed on a large screen. The movie opened to $17 million, setting the biggest opening day for a musical film of ever, at the time. It went on to gross over $250 million, winning multiple accolades, including Best Movie from the Kids’ Choice Awards. And its 12-song album sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide which is completely understandable, especially if you’ve heard track number 3. That said, “I Want It All” was arguably the best musical number in the franchise—here’s why.
The Eye-Catching Sets
Disney
Two words: budget increase. Where Ryan and Sharpay’s first film duet “Bop to the Top” relied on a mostly bare stage only decorated with a tinsel-covered ladder, this musical number had everything from spinning tables to a cabana, and even fireworks. Like the first film’s “Stick to the Status Quo,” “I Want it All” was shot primarily in the school’s cafeteria. But what was once a room filled with a mob of singing and dancing high schoolers became a red (or in Sharpay’s case, pink) carpet premiere complete with paparazzi, a mockup of 42nd Street in Times Square, and a blackbox with a cherry-colored backdrop and vivid spotlight shining on the two leads and their background dancers. There is never a dull moment throughout the entire song, and oftentimes it’s hard to even know where to look. The set changes repeatedly, and each one is more exciting than the last.
The Optimistic Lyrics
The lead of every school’s musical, Sharpay had been working her butt off to become a superstar. Along with Ryan, she was dreaming of landing the scholarship to The Juilliard School. But bigger is always better and throughout the song, she imagines the easily accomplishable standing ovation and fanbase showering her in rose bouquets, as well as the ambitious Oscar win, and her name in lights at Carnegie Hall. While Ryan, of course, also longs for a successful future, throughout the number Sharpay constantly encourages him to dream bigger. “A little bit is never enough,” she sings, insisting that sold out shows are only the stepping stone of their careers.
The Pristine Choreography
With an award-winning choreographer like Kenny Ortega, viewers can only expect fine dance routines. He also served as the choreographer for the previous two films, and director of all three. Disney Channel even debuted dance-along versions of the films where, during commercial breaks, the cast would teach audiences the choreography that diehard fans probably already knew. Cheerleaders and basketball stars perform as backup dancers, reaching for the sky Fosse-style, rolling around the floor, and indubitably carrying Sharpay across the floor. The scene is completed by a chorus line of pink-haired dancers, dancing and kicking perfectly in sync, further solidifying why people are dazzled by movie musicals.
The Flashy Costumes
With different sets comes different costumes. Sharpay and Ryan started the number in the already eccentric everyday clothing, which consisted of a hot pink croc skirt and matching knee-high pumps for her, and a lavender argyle sweater vest and signature fedora for him. The two wore a total of five outfits in the entire four and a half minutes, ending with all white ensembles for the both of them: the female Evans wore a bedazzled tank leotard with her hair styled into a bob, while the boy graced us with a monochromatic tuxedo with matching top hat.
Sharpay’s Fantasy
As the Queen Bee of East High, it’s no surprise that Sharpay sees herself above all of her classmates, and of this fantasy of hers, they are essentially her servants. Whether maids or bodyguards, drivers or flight attendants, each student was assigned to cater to her every whim. Troy himself was even reduced to being a Sharpay fanboy—complete with a Sharpay t-shirt and her initials surrounded by a heart tattooed on his arm—who was soon escorted out by security as he pleaded, “Let me meet you, Sharpay!” Even Oprah Winfrey was a victim of Ryan and Sharpay’s self-worship, as they repeatedly rejected her invitation to appear on her show. But it didn’t stop there: Sharpay was also on the cover of teen magazines, the marquee that in actuality bore the name of today’s school lunch (after all, they were in the cafeteria the entire time), transformed into, “Ryan and Sharpay in Everything” and the tap-dancing twins pictured themselves performing across the world, with the final destination and most-drawn out note being New York City because as Sharpay said, “When Broadway knows your name, you know that you’re a star.”
