Disney is high on 'Musical 2'

PASADENA, Calif. — It's been a year since the made-in-Utah TV movie "High School Musical" debuted, and they're still giddy at the Disney Channel.

"Certainly one of the biggest successes of all of television this past year was 'High School Musical.' And since its premiere ... it's reached over 100 million television viewers worldwide, and it's sold upward of 6 million (DVDs)," said Gary Marsh, president, Entertainment, Disney Channel Worldwide.

Yikes.

The Disney Channel is marking the one-year anniversary on Saturday with a "programming event" that features "music videos and content that were created by and for Disney Channels around the world to help launch 'High School Musical' in those territories in Europe and Asia and Latin America."

That's just sort of an intermediary event to the next big development — the sequel. Not surprisingly, the title is "High School Musical 2," which is certainly appropriate. (And no less unoriginal than the original, which was actually just a working title that no one involved found a way to improve on.)

"We're thrilled that the original cast is all coming back, including our Emmy Award-winning choreographer and director Kenny Ortega," Marsh said. "Rehearsals for the show will begin in February in Salt Lake. We begin production in March, and the show is slated now for an August premiere."

When it became clear just how successful "High School Musical" had become and a sequel became inevitable, there appeared little chance that "2" would be produced in Utah. (The original wasn't set in Utah — even though the fictional East High was largely shot at the real East High.) Disney officials made it clear they would shoot the sequel in the first quarter of 2007, and they made it clear they would shoot it somewhere without winter.

So ... after rehearsals in Salt Lake City, the production will begin in St. George. Then it's back to SLC, and finally back to St. George to complete the movie.

"We're thrilled we were able to work it out. There was so much energy in the first movie, and a lot of that came from the people in Utah," Marsh said.

YOU, TOO, CAN BE A PART of the production of "High School Musical 2." All you have to do is go online.

The Disney Channel is calling it "High School Musical 2: Play Your Part," and it's up on Disneychannel.com right now. It's an online poll designed to "allow our viewers to decide various elements of the production," Marsh said. "By voting online, kids will be able to determine such things as Sharpay's favorite drink or the copy that's written on Chad's T-shirt or which 'Hannah Montana' star they would most like to see have a walk-on role in 'High School Musical 2."'

BIG NEWS: The fourth-season premiere of the Disney Channel's animated series "Kim Possible" is scheduled for Feb. 10. Guest stars this season include Ashley Tisdale, Debbie Reynolds, Elliott Gould, George Takei and Fred Savage.

But that's not the big news.

"Actually, the big news about this, for those of you who are die-hard 'Kim Possible' fans, is that Kim and Ron actually become an official couple over the course of the season," Marsh said. "Now I know for most of you that doesn't mean anything. But if you are a 9-year-old girl, this is information you can sell on eBay later today."

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com