In 2007 , work on the second film in the '' High School Musical '' series began , and Hudgens was confirmed to be returning for the sequel . '' High School Musical 2 '' was released on August 17 , 2007 . The premiere was seen by a total of over 17.2 million viewers in the U.S. , which is almost 10 million more than its predecessor , making it the highest-rated Disney Channel Movie of all time . Disney Channel aired a weekly program called '' Road to High School Musical 2 '' , beginning on June 8 , 2007 , and leading up to the premiere of '' High School Musical 2 '' in August . The show offered viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the production of the movie . The world premiere of the opening number " What Time Is It " was on Radio Disney May 25 , 2007 , and similarly " You Are The Music In Me " premiered on July 13 , 2007 . The film was generally well received by critics , gaining a score of 77/100 at Metacritic , while it received a generally mixed response of 50 % on Rotten Tomatoes . '' USA Today '' 's Robert Bianco awarded the film three stars out of four , saying '' High School Musical 2 '' was " sweet , smart , bursting with talent and energy , and awash in innocence " . While critics enjoyed the film , they noted that the timing of the movie 's premiere seemed odd , premiering just when school was about to start up again , while the movie 's plot involved the gang going on summer vacation . '' High School Musical 2 '' won the " So Hot Right Now " award at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids ' Choice Awards 2007 , in which '' High School Musical '' castmate Zac Efron hosted with The Veronicas
Nickelodeon Australian Kids ' Choice Awards 2007
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2007
Vanessa Hudgens