High School Musical: El Desafio
Encyclopedia
High School Musical: El Desafío (The Challenge) is a spin-off
of the American movie High School Musical
for the Argentine market, based on the book Battle of the Bands
. It began filming in February 2008 and it is the third Disney-branded feature film made in Latin America
, The first was Una Pelicula de Huevos
and the second is El Arca.
The movie has a script created specifically for the cinema and an original plotline. Eight new songs have been produced exclusively for the movie. In addition to these songs, Alejandro Lerner
also composed the main theme, which he performed, and which is played during the closing credits.
The roles in the movie are played by the winners and finalists of the Argentine TV program High School Musical: La Selección: Agus, Fer, Delfi, Walter, Gastón, Vale, Sofi and Juanchi. It also has the special participation of Andrea del Boca
, Adriana Salonia, Peter McFarlane and the debut in a film of Liz Solari. The movie arrived in Argentine theaters on July 17, 2008, reaching in its debut week second place in the national box-office charts.
The principal of the school and Ms. D'Arts, the art teacher, invite the students to take part in the school's first battle of the bands
, where the kids will have a chance to be showcased as true music stars. Anne-Claire, a former student and now a famous singer, comes to the school as adviser to the contest. Delfi envies her greatly.
Working against the clock and with limited resources, the kids put all the forces for the big day. Fer and Agus, together with Juanchi, Sofi, Facha, Gaston and Walter participate in the contest, forming a band called the Scrum. At the same time, Delfi participates with her friends, and she tries the impossible task of separating Walter from his new friends. But only one band will be the winner, the one which can understand that teamwork, personal development, and study will make them better artists and also better people.
The special premiere took place on July 14, 2008 at the Gran Rex Theater. Following the film, the cast and the director, Jorge Nisco, went to the Alvear Hotel for a photo session and a press conference.
The film debuted in cinemas throughout Argentina on July 17, 2008.
and in Brazil
:
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the American movie High School Musical
High School Musical
High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
for the Argentine market, based on the book Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bands (book)
Battle of the Bands is a fiction book set in the same universe as the High School Musical series of American films. It is part of a series of books by different authors; this one was written by N.B. Grace. The plot features a Battle of Bands competition....
. It began filming in February 2008 and it is the third Disney-branded feature film made in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, The first was Una Pelicula de Huevos
Una película de huevos
Una película de huevos is a 2006 animated full feature Mexican film produced by Huevocartoon Producciones . The film featured voices by Bruno Bichir, Angélica Vale and Carlos Espejel.-Synopsis:...
and the second is El Arca.
The movie has a script created specifically for the cinema and an original plotline. Eight new songs have been produced exclusively for the movie. In addition to these songs, Alejandro Lerner
Alejandro Lerner
Alejandro Federico Lerner is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has written and sang countless songs including several hits, and his fame and recognition spread all over South America....
also composed the main theme, which he performed, and which is played during the closing credits.
The roles in the movie are played by the winners and finalists of the Argentine TV program High School Musical: La Selección: Agus, Fer, Delfi, Walter, Gastón, Vale, Sofi and Juanchi. It also has the special participation of Andrea del Boca
Andrea Del Boca
Andrea Del Boca is an Argentine telenovela actress.- Biography :Del Boca made her debut as a four-year-old in a television show hosted by Teresa Blasco...
, Adriana Salonia, Peter McFarlane and the debut in a film of Liz Solari. The movie arrived in Argentine theaters on July 17, 2008, reaching in its debut week second place in the national box-office charts.
Plot
A new school year begins at the High School Argentina (HSA), and the students return from the summer vacations. Fer, the captain of the school football team, the Jaguars, discovers that Agus, his neighbor and fellow classmate, has changed a lot over the summer. Delfi, however, continues being vain and wastes her time dominating her poor brother, Walter, and her associates Alicia, Clara and Valeria, or, as she prefers to call them, "The Invisibles".The principal of the school and Ms. D'Arts, the art teacher, invite the students to take part in the school's first battle of the bands
Battle of the Bands
Battle of Bands is a contest in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Traditionally, battles of...
, where the kids will have a chance to be showcased as true music stars. Anne-Claire, a former student and now a famous singer, comes to the school as adviser to the contest. Delfi envies her greatly.
Working against the clock and with limited resources, the kids put all the forces for the big day. Fer and Agus, together with Juanchi, Sofi, Facha, Gaston and Walter participate in the contest, forming a band called the Scrum. At the same time, Delfi participates with her friends, and she tries the impossible task of separating Walter from his new friends. But only one band will be the winner, the one which can understand that teamwork, personal development, and study will make them better artists and also better people.
Main
- Fer (Fernando Dente) is the male protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the movie. He is the most popular male student at High School Argentina, and the captain of the varsity rugbyRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team, the Jaguars. He faces a new challenge this year in the school: forming a band for the Battle of the Bands, where he will show, despite of the difficulties, his true leadership. (The equivalent of Troy Bolton.)
- Agus (Agustina Vera) is the female protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the movie. She is the shy and studious student who, under the astonished eyes of all her peers, suddenly becomes an attractive young girl with a talent for singing. When she feels insecure, Anne-Claire encourages her to be herself and exhibit her artistic talents without fears. (The equivalent of Gabriella Montez.)
- Delfi (Delfina Peña) is the antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the film. She is the typical "rich girl", vain, selfish, who does not spare a second for the others, even for her brother Walter, except to get what she wants: to be the absolute and undisputed star of the school. But at the end, she learns a valuable lesson and redeems herself. (The equivalent of Sharpay Evans.)
- Walter (Walter Bruno) is Delfi's brother, who must use all his ingenuity to evade the surveillance of his sister to be the coach of Fer's band, the Scrum. With Agus's help, and with his perseverance and recklessness, Walter manages to become independent and show his true artistic abilities. (The equivalent of Ryan Evans.)
Other students
- Gastón (Gastón Vietto) is Fer's best friend, who has a deep platonic lovePlatonic lovePlatonic love is a chaste and strong type of love that is non-sexual.-Amor Platonicus:The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino. Platonic love in this original sense of the term is examined in Plato's dialogue the Symposium, which has...
with Anne-Claire. There is nothing in the world he wouldn't do for her. (The equivalent of Chad Danforth.)
- Juanchi (Juan Macedonio). When there is a funny comment or sudden laughter, that is Juanchi, the guy who never loses his sense of humor. He is also a good drummer. (The equivalent of Chad Danforth.)
- Facha (Augusto Buccafusto). He does what he can with his guitar ... literally because the instrument has the unfortunate habit of falling down! Anne-Claire is the one who finally pulls out of the muck at the crucial moment in his performance. (The equivalent of Jason CrossJason CrossWilliam Jason Massengale is an American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name Jason Cross and for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-NWA Wildside :...
.)
- Sofi (Sofía Agüero Petros) is the talented composer of the band. She also demonstrates her positive attitude when time is their principal enemy. (The equivalent of Kelsi Nielsen.)
- Vale (Valeria Baroni) is a great singer, but because she joins Delfi's musical group, she is always overshadowed by the "star". (The equivalent of Taylor McKessie.)
- Clarita and Alicia (Maria Clara Alonso and Sophie Oliver Sánchez) are Delfi's unconditional allies and members of her band. The two girls are completely subordinated to the whims and arrogance of the "star". (The equivalent of The Sharpettes.)
Supporting
- Ms. D'Arts (Andrea del BocaAndrea Del BocaAndrea Del Boca is an Argentine telenovela actress.- Biography :Del Boca made her debut as a four-year-old in a television show hosted by Teresa Blasco...
) is HSA's art teacher, who, together with the principal, convenes the Battle of the Bands. (The equivalent of Ms. Darbus.)
- The High School Principal (Peter McFarlane)
- Anne-Claire (Liz Solari) is the adviser of the contest, is a former HSA student and now a famous singer and pianist. (the equivalent of aylor}}
- Agus' Mum (Adriana Salonia)
- Fer's Dad (Mauricio Dayub) rugby coach of the team, pushes them hard. (the equivalent of Coach Bolton
- Donato (Daniel Martins)
- Marta (Carolina Ibarra)
Premiere
The special premiere took place on July 14, 2008 at the Gran Rex Theater. Following the film, the cast and the director, Jorge Nisco, went to the Alvear Hotel for a photo session and a press conference.
The film debuted in cinemas throughout Argentina on July 17, 2008.
Soundtrack
Before the release of the movie, the film's soundtrack CD was released, featuring eight new songs produced by Fernando López Rossi. The album has a bonus track with the song "Now Is Time to Shine" (originally in Spanish, "Ya es tiempo de brillar") written by Alejandro Lerner especially for the film, and includes the music video of the song "The Summer Was Ended" ("El Verano Terminó").List of songs
| # | Song | Performed by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Verano Terminó (Summer Has Ended) | All |
| 2 | Siempre Juntos (Forever Together) | The Jaguars |
| 3 | Doo up | Delfy and Walter |
| 4 | Yo sabía... (I Knew...) | Agus and Fer |
| 5 | A Buscar el Sol (Look for the Sun) | Agus |
| 6 | Hoy Todo es Mejor (Today Everything is Better) | Fer |
| 7 | Superstar | Delfi and The Shadows (Vale, Clara and Alicia) |
| 8 | Mejor Hacerlo Todo Juntos (It's Better Doing It All Together) | Agus, Fer, Juanchi, Gaston, Facha and Sofi |
| 9 | Actuar, Bailar, Cantar (Act, Dance, Sing) | All |
| 10 | Ya es Hora de Brillar (It's Already Time to Shine) | Alejandro Lerner |
| BT | El Verano Terminó (Video) (Summer Has Ended (Video)) | All |
Other international versions
Following this production in Argentina, the film was also remade for MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
:
- In Mexico, as in ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, the winners were chosen by a contest (HSM: La Selección), from which Cristobal Orellana and Mariana Magaña emerged to play the leads. The antagonists were not cast from the contest; they were played by Cesar Fernando Soberanes and Mar Contreras. This version generally used the same dialogue (although the wording varied to reflect the Mexican version of Spanish) and songs as the Argentine version, although the songs were adapted with a reggaetonReggaetonReggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
and hip hopHip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
style to appeal to the Mexican public. Ironically, the Mexican version was also filmed in Argentina. The Mexican version premiered on September 4, 2008.
- In BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the finalists were chosen on HSM - A SeleçãoHigh School Musical: A SeleçãoDisney's High School Musical: A Seleção is a reality television game show, which debuted March 15, 2008 on Disney Channel Brazil....
. From there emerged Renata Pinto Gomes Ferreira and Olavo Setembro Cavalheiro as the leads, along with Paula Pereia Barbosa and Fellipe Ferreira Guadanucci as the antagonists. The Brazilian version is planned to premiere in fev 2010.