It's an irrepressibly colourful and upbeat effort and the result is Grease meets Fame meets Annette Funicello and Elvis Presley, for 8-to-12-year-olds.

High School Musical 2, like the original, does well by doing good. While Disney coffers swell, these movies inspire a new generation to think seriously about dance and about the impact of drama laced with music.

[High School Musical 2] succeeds as what it's designed to be - a good-enough-for-the-kids, clean-enough-for-the-parents, profitable-enough-for-Disney product.

The original High School Musical may have started it all, but its sequel is the movie that permanently etched those songs into the millennial consciousness.