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BURBANK, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Walt Disney Records) - The kids from East High are still in this together, as the original stars from Disney Channel's phenomenal 'High School Musical' and 'High School Musical 2' reunite, this time on the big screen for 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year.' Walt Disney Records' companion soundtrack CD features ten new songs written by world-class songwriters such as Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil, Jamie Houston, Andy Dodd and Adam Watts, all of whom contributed to both previous 'High School Musical' scores. Directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega, 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year' opens in theaters on October 24, while the Walt Disney Records soundtrack hits stores October 21.
By every measure, 'High School Musical' is the most successful film and soundtrack franchise of the decade. The phenomenon leaps onto the big screen in HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR, in which America's favorite high school students (ZAC EFRON, VANESSA HUDGENS, ASHLEY TISDALE, LUCAS GRABEEL, CORBIN BLEU and MONIQUE COLEMAN) hit senior year. Amidst a basketball championship, prom and a big spring musical featuring all of the Wildcats, Troy and Gabriella vow to make every moment last as their lifelong college dreams put the future of their relationship in question. A crew of sophomore Wildcats (MATT PROKOP, JUSTIN MARTIN, JEMMA MCKENZIE-BROWN) joins in the fun as the film's incredible new music and exciting dance numbers take maximum advantage of the big screen.
Composer David Lawrence and music supervisor Steven Vincent also return to continue the 'High School Musical' tradition. The Walt Disney Records soundtrack features all-new songs, including 'Now or Never' (Matthew Gerrard/Robbie Nevil), 'Right Here, Right Now' (Jamie Houston), 'I Want It All' (Matthew Gerrard/Robbie Nevil), 'Can I Have This Dance' (Adam Anders/Nikki Hassman), 'A Night to Remember' (Matthew Gerrard/Robbie Nevil), 'Just Wanna Be With You' (Andy Dodd/Adam Watts), 'The Boys Are Back' (Matthew Gerrard/Robbie Nevil), 'Walk Away' (Jamie Houston), 'Scream' (Jamie Houston), and 'High School Musical' (Matthew Gerrard/Robbie Nevil).
Says director/choreographer Ortega: 'The songwriters have turned out a soundtrack that I think is the best of all. It serves the story. It serves the characters. It's dynamic, rhythmic, romantic, funny, orchestral, symphonic and choral. It gets as big as it can and as intimate as it can and everything in between.'
Earlier this year, 'High School Musical' turned in the No 1 best-selling album globally for the second consecutive year, according to the IFPI (which represents the recording industry worldwide). In 2006, the 'High School Musical' soundtrack was the world's best-selling album, with over 7 million units in sales, while 'High School Musical 2' followed up with 6 million units sold, marking the first time the same franchise has topped the chart for two years in a row. Year to date, the 'High School Musical' audio franchise has sold more than 14 million units worldwide.