High School already?

This morning we woke up and the first thing that popped into my mind was "High School Musical 2"!!! Yes, my household has Wildcat fever and at 8:30am we were in front of the tv, watching the sequel on Disney on Demand. By the way, we couldn't be happier. Even my 6 month old was into it, not surprising since she recognizes the songs from the first movie.
My oldest is pretty obsessed with the HSM gang, of course her favorite is Gabriella. She always has to be Gabriella and I'm, by default, Troy. I'd be lying if I said I didn't fully enjoy HSM and don't mind watching it over and over or acting out the songs many times a day. I actually said to Isabella today "why do I always have to be Troy? I want to be Gabriella!" I wasn't really kidding, either. It brought back memories of acting out shows with my sisters and cousins and since I was the oldest, I always took the "best" character. That must have been pretty frustrating to them, so this is my official apology for monopolizing the cast. Oh my gosh! I was like Sharpay! Just not as manipulating (I hope).
Well, the plot of HSM2 isn't that deep, but that depends on your perspective and life experience, of course. See, about 3/4 through the movie, Gabriella breaks up with Troy. Its sad and definately melodramatic especially since the breakup is done with a song during which their eyes tear up and Gabriella ends it by getting into her mom's minivan. We were watching and all of a sudden Isabella puts her head in her hands and says "I can't be in High School Musical anymore", starts crying and leaves the room. I should add that she was "in character" the whole time we watched, not sitting on the sofa with me, but standing on her "stage". I couldn't believe my eyes or ears when she did that. She's only 3! She shouldn't be crying over a boy yet!!!! I was half giggling as I asked her what was wrong and convinced her to come back. I assured her Gabriella and Troy would be okay and they'd be friends again. She left the room because she thought Gabriella left the movie when she got into that van. The rest of the movie was watched without incident and we fully enjoyed the ending sequence complete with songs and ensemble dancing.
I read a review of HSM2 in Newsday tonight and it wasn't totally positive. It basically said Disney stayed "safe" with this sequel, giving HSM fans what they wanted rather than trying to "give the audience more". It criticized the acting, saying the characters show only one emotion at a time. This movie is obviously not going for an Oscar or a Golden Globe. It exists to entertain kids and their parents who are forced to watch it over and over. And based on my 3 year old's reaction, one emotion at a time is more than enough for kids. I'm giving it two thumbs up. I'm already humming the songs to myself and am honestly looking forward to the next time I see it. (Only twice today) Check it out---I have the link to the website on this page below "rainy day diversions for kids". If not for any other reason, Troy is just adorable...he is great in Hairspray also, which is another must-see for kids and parents alike. And remember, "We're all in this together" :)