We’re coming up on the Christmas season, which means New Years is really just around the corner. Do you know what this means? Yep, High School Musical reruns on the Disney Channel. Now, I know we all pretend to have moved on from the time in our lives when sat on the couch and watched Disney Channel, but we will never move on from our love of High School Musical and all the characters within it. (What team? WILDCATS! Get your head in the game.)
But I’ve been thinking recently… these movies are full of crazy wonderful characters, and we never talk about most of them. So I’ve compiled a list of 9 characters that we always forget to love in those hit movies.
Ms. Darbus
Oh, how I love Ms. Darbus. She was the first woman I ever saw on-screen who was unapologetically weird and didn’t care who saw. Her wardrobe was crazy unique and she really cared about her students. I mean, she saw something in Troy Bolton and the rest of the crew, and pulled out wonderful musicALs.
Zeke Baylor
As my dad likes to say, “oh my god, crème brûlée!” Zeke is best known for his desire to be a great pastry chef. His friends learn about his passion, accept it and move on. And why doesn’t anyone talk about his adorable puppy love for Sharpay?! He bakes her cookies, he swoons for her, and he isn’t afraid to be enthusiastic about things he loves.
Taylor McKessie
In High School Musical 3, Taylor steps forward and proudly declares that she’s going to be the “President of the United States; after college of course!” We forget to love Taylor because her passion and drive and ambition is sometimes mistaken for bossiness. But really, how can you not love this put together, beautiful woman?
Martha Cox
Martha isn’t afraid to be herself, and break out of her comfort zone to follow what she really loves – hip-hop. Also, let’s not forget that she ends up as a cheerleader in High School Musical 2 and 3. She truly is an inspiration to follow your passions and not settle for what you think you should do.
Coach Jack Bolton
Instead of spurning his son when he declares he wants to do both theatre and basketball, Coach Bolton stands by Troy and finds a way (after kind of being an a-hole about it) to support him. Not only that, but Coach Bolton manages to slip in life lessons into his basketball practices that we can all enjoy and learn to live by.
Ryan Evans
It’s not that we forget to love Ryan, it’s just that we’re blinded by Sharpay first. Ryan is portrayed as her sidekick, her loyal brother who supports her without fail. But we forget that Ryan should be admired. He is talented in his own right, loves dance, and learns to make his own spotlight. And how can we forget his love of stylish hats?
Mr. Fulton
Okay, so maybe we shouldn’t love Mr. Fulton. But he cares for Sharpay and Ryan in their own way. And we’ve all had those managers who take the service industry a little too far. He’s just trying to make all of his clients happy and keep his job. We’ve got to commend him for putting up with all those rich people all summer.
Jimmie Zara (a.k.a. RocketMan)
Only appearing in the final installment of High School Musical, RocketMan was that over eager freshman we all once were. While annoying, RocketMan really just wanted to make his mark in high school, and following in the basketball star’s footsteps was the only way he thought to do that.
Jason Cross
Jason kills me. He’s the guy in high school we all loved to hate – sleeping through classes, accidentally charming all the teachers, and just barely getting by.
No matter who you love in High School Musical – if you want a love like Troy and Gabriella’s, you have ambitions like Sharpay or Taylor, or you’re comfortable staying in the background like Kelsi – we can’t forget these 9 characters and their quirks, loves, and different passions. High School Musical, you will forever be loved.
Featured image via “@ NCTA: HIgh School Musical Cast” by sdk / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
