What time is it? Why, time to work those dance grooves with Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad and the rest of the gang from East High, of course. High School Musical 2: Deluxe Dance Edition hits DVD just in advance of the theatrical bow of the series’ third flick, designed to pry a few more dollars from the wallets of tweens and their parents, in exchange for a movie ticket voucher and some celebratory, dance-along instruction. Fans of course know the story particulars of the top-rated Disney Channel original movie and its sequel, and those who’ve built up a wall of mental isolation from the flicks don’t really care, so it’s best to just note that High School Musical 2: Deluxe Dance Edition is an essential release only for hardcore series completists. More casual fans make certainly make do with the prior DVD release, while shrieking middle school devotees can dance along with the cast and learn their favorite kickin’ routines with moves actually taken from and showcased by the movie’s director-choreographer, Kenny Ortega.

Housed in a regular plastic Amaray case in turn stored in a glittery, yellow-tinged cardboard slipcover with raised lettering, High School Musical 2: Deluxe Dance Edition comes spread out over two discs, and presented in 1.33:1 full frame, with complementary English, French and Spanish language Dolby digital 5.1 sound mixes. A special, three-minute sneak peek at the forthcoming theatrical release in the series kick-starts the slate of over five hours of bonus material, and is of course the driving reason behind this iteration’s existence, since a movie ticket voucher is also included herein. The bulk of the other material is imported from the movie’s previous DVD release, including four minutes of deleted scenes, a four-minute blooper reel and music videos for “You Are the Music in Me” and “Gotta Go My Own Way.” Perhaps most interestingly, various international music videos and promo clips are granted their own section, including a bizarre Japanese animated piece. Also included are a 30-minute making-of featurette, a virtual scrapbook featuring the cast
and crew, 35 minutes of choreography and rehearsal footage, and an exclusive musical number that will make “the coolest
summer vacation ever” last all year round… or at least until your tweens have to get up and manually hit replay after wearing out the DVD player’s remote control. To purchase the DVD via Amazon, click here. B- (Movie) B+ (Disc)