High School Musical: el desafío (2008 Mexican film)

High School Musical: el desafío is a spin-off film, to the High School Musical franchise. It is one of three feature film adaptations of a script written by Pablo Lago and Susana Cardozo and based on the book Battle of the Bands. The film stars the finalists of the reality television High School Musical: La Selección competition series, created with participation of the musical duo Jesse & Joy. To coincide with the Mexican target audience, some of the soundtrack is of the reggaeton genre.

High School Musical: el desafío
Official home video release artwork
Directed by	Eduardo Ripari
Written by	Pablo Lago Susana Cardozo
Starring	Cristóbal Orellana Mariana Magaña Mar Contreras Fernando Soberanes Jorge Blanco
Cinematography	Marcelo Iaccarino
Edited by	Juan Carlos Macías
Music by	Alejandro Kauderer Emilio Kauderer
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Buena Vista International The Walt Disney Company Latin America TV Azteca Patagonik Film Group
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	September 5, 2008 (2008-09-05)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Mexico
Language	Spanish

High School Musical: el desafío premiered in Mexico on September 5, 2008. The premiere was held on August 24, 2008, at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City.

Plot

Cristóbal (Cristóbal Orellana), the captain of the school football team, "Los Borregos", discovers that his neighbor and classmate, Mariana (Mariana Magaña), has changed a lot over the summer. Meanwhile, Luli (Mar Contreras) is still as vain as ever and overshadows her poor brother, Fernando (Fernando Soberanes), and his companions, whom she refers to as "The Invisibles." A new school year begins at High School Mexico (HSM, initially interpreted), and the school has announced a "Battle of the Bands" contest hosted by Jesse & Joy. Working against the clock and with limited resources, the guys put forces for the big day. Cristobal, Mariana, and a few of their peers, come together and form a band called "Fair Play". In an effort to win, Luli dares the impossible task of separating Cristobal from his friends. But only one band will be the winner; the one who understands that teamwork, personal development, and hard work will make them better artists and also better people.

Cast of characters

Main Cast
Actor	Character	Parallel	Notes
Cristóbal Orellana	Cristóbal Rodríguez	Troy Bolton	Soccer team captain for the Borregos.
Mariana Magaña	Mariana Galindo	Gabriella Montez	Shy and brainy, Mariana is also a talented singer.
Mar Contreras	Luli Casas Del Campo	Sharpay Evans	Fernando's fraternal twin sister; the undisputed star of the school.
Fernando Soberanes	Fernando Casas Del Campo	Ryan Evans	Luli's fraternal twin brother who acts as her lackey until he's recruited to choreograph for Cristobal's band.
Juan Carlos Flores	Juan Carlos	Chad Danforth	Cristóbal's best friend
Supporting Cast
Actor	Character	Parallel	Notes
Fabiola Paulin	Faby	Taylor McKessie
Jorge Blanco	Jorge Blanco	Jason Cross
César Viramontes	César	Zeke Baylor	He likes to cook and member of team Borregos.
Paulina Holguin	Pau	Emma	A member of Luli's clique
Carolina Ayala	Caroline	Jackie	A member of Luli’s clique
Juan Manuel Bernal	Mr. Rodrigues	Jack Bolton	The father of Cristobal.
Lumi Cavazos	Mrs. Galindo	Lisa Montez	The mother of Mariana.
Lisa Owen	Mrs. Casas Del Campo	Darby Evans	The mother of Luli and Fernando.
Victor Martin Hugg	Mr. Casas Del Campo	Vance Evans	The father of Luli and Fernando.
Álvaro Guerrero	Mr. Guerrero	Principal Matsui	The school principal.
Carmen Beato	Angelina	Ms. Darbus	The school teacher
Joy Huerta Uckey	Joy
Jesse Huerta Uckey	Jesse
Carla Medina	Marifé
Roger González	Cook
Stephie Camarena	Stephie

Music

The film's soundtrack was released on August 15, 2008, and features the same songs composed by Fernando López Rossi for the Argentine incarnation, but with different arrangements (e.g. reggaeton). The soundtrack also includes a cover of "Dime Ven" from Mexican band Motel and the song "La Vida Es Una Aventura", performed by Jesse & Joy.

1. El Verano Terminó (High School Musical: El Desafio cast)
2. Siempre Juntos (High School Musical: El Desafio cast)
3. La Vida Es Una Aventura (Mariana Magaña, Fernando Soberanes)
4. Yo Sabia (Cristóbal Orellana, Mariana Magaña)
5. A Buscar El Sol (Mariana Magaña)
6. Hoy Todo Es Mejor (Cristóbal Orellana)
7. Dime Ven (High School Musical: El Desafio cast)
8. Superstar (Mar Contreras, Paulina Holguin, Fabiola Paulin, Carolina Ayala)
9. Mejor Hacerlo Todos Juntos (Cristóbal Orellana, Mariana Magaña Mariana, Fernando Soberanes, Juan Carlos Flores, Jorge Blanco, Stephie Camarena, Cesar Viramontes)
10. Actuar, Bailar, Cantar (High School Musical: El Desafio cast)
11. Doo Up (Mar Contreras, Fernando Soberanes) [Bonus Track]

Chart positions

Weekly charts Chart (2008) Peak position Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[1][2] 3

Year-end charts Chart (2008) Position Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[1] 60

Home media

The DVD was released on December 2, 2008, five months sooner than previously advertised.^{[citation needed]}

1. The Summer Ended (Music Video)
2. Segments of "Express" from Disney Channel
3. Commercial: "The Challenge Behind the Dream" from Disney Channel

Novel

High School Musical: el desafío was transcribed into a novel, and was released by Random House. The book contains 8 pages of stills from the film.