The High School Musical franchise consists of three Disney musical romantic comedy-drama films directed by Kenny Ortega and created by Peter Barsocchini. It stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman. The original film was released simply as a Disney Channel Original Movie, but after its huge success, it was followed by a television sequel. The third film received a theatrical release. Tisdale and Grabeel reprised their roles as Sharpay and Ryan Evans in a spin-off on the series titled Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, ultimately released as a both a direct-to-video film and a Disney Channel Original Movie. Numerous international versions have been created, plus stage musicals and video games have been released, among other things. In November 2017, a television spin-off of the franchise was announced to be in development. The films have developed a cult following. In November 2019, a television series based on the film series, titled High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, was released on Disney+.