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First of all, what is a “tween”?
Tweens include “Those who seem to reside in the space between childhood and adolescence approximately aged 8-12” (Sørenssen) By the early 2000s, the media landscape for children and tweens was rapidly changing. The expansion of cable channels created an abundance of viewing options, but this fractured audiences and made it more difficult for individual networks to stand out. As Anna Potter explains in her article on the global success of HSM, Children’s entertainment was becoming less profitable for free-to-air networks. Amid this landscape, Disney took a bold step with High School Musical.
Disney shaped and constructed its tween audience through offering an "idealized depiction of high school life, reflecting themes of inclusion, unity, and self-expression that strongly appealed to younger viewers" (Potter). Tweens saw themselves in the characters’ struggles to break free from stereotypes, whether it was Troy balancing his identity as a basketball star and singer, or Gabriella finding her confidence as both a mathlete and performer. These relatable narratives helped Disney connect with an audience navigating their own questions of identity and belonging. As mentioned before, this connection wasn’t limited to the United States. Its global reach speaks to Disney’s success in making the tween audience feel seen, no matter where they lived.
An article from Playbill the weekend HSM 3: Senior Year opened. Playbill is a well-known magazine for all things Broadway and musical theater.
Disney’s strategy ultimately reshaped the landscape of children’s media. With High School Musical 2 attracting the largest audience ever for a TV movie, it was clear that Disney had tapped into a powerful formula. The subsequent theatrical release of High School Musical 3 further cemented the franchise’s place in tween culture, as it became the highest-grossing opening weekend for a musical at the time ("The Lost Art of Disney Channel Original Movies").
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