It’s hard to believe that it's been 20 years since the first High School Musical arrived on Disney Channel and completely changed the world. Before the MCU and Star Wars, one of the biggest franchises Disney had was a teen-focused musical on basic cable. It was the sort of popularity that nobody saw coming, except possibly the director.
Kenny Ortega is one of the great choreographers and directors of musical films. He worked with major stars from Madonna to Elton John and handled choreography on films like Dirty Dancing and Pretty in Pink. He began his relationship with Disney in the early ‘90s directing Newsies and Hocus Pocus, so he was a natural choice when it came to finding somebody to helm High School Musical.
