
Ever since the early 1890’s when the first films were created, movies have provided entertainment for people and families all over the world. Although some movies might seem to very similar, their plot lines differ when comparing the film. An example of two films that follow a similar plot line but still significantly differ is 2006’s High School Musical and 1978’s Grease. The two movies share similar characters as well as a similar setting, but they differ in time period as well as the problems the main characters face throughout the movie. When comparing the two films, High School Musical and Grease, many similarities and differences can be ascertained.

In 1978’s Grease we are introduced to Danny, a typical bad boy high schooler who relishes in the idea of being the type to only care for popularity and what others think of him. That changes when he meets Sandy, a goody-two-shoes type that catches the eye of Danny. Sandy makes Danny want to become a better person but he does not want to lose his bad boy reputation. Throughout the movie viewers witness Danny’s internal conflict within himself about what he cares about more, his reputation or Sandy. Eventually Danny does try to become more involved in school in order to appeal more to Sandy’s interests. The movie ends with the plot twist of Sandy conforming to Danny’s lifestyle rather than Danny conforming to Sandy’s. 

In 2006’s High School Musical we are introduced to Troy, the star basketball player on his high school team. When Troy meets Gabriella she introduces him into the world of theater and musicals, a thing that the jocks of the school are not supposed to take part in. When Troy gets a callback for the lead in a musical he is faced with the difficult decision as to either tryout for the play or to play in his playoff basketball game. Throughout the course of the movie Troy demonstrated how reputation did not define him and ended up being able to participate in both the game and the musical.

In both movies there is a protagonist male character facing an internal conflict about whether or not to venture off the path their reputation has set for them. The two characters have similarities on how they portrayed themselves. Troy and Danny were very confident in their roles at the school and had a lot of influence on the people around them.  Another similarity about the two male characters is that characters in the movies are inspired to change for their love interest as well. There are differences between the characters as well. In High School Musical Troy’s dedication to the musical and to his teammates inspire everybody to be more accepting whereas in Grease, the other characters do not change their opinion on the people outside of their group. 

The settings in both movies are very different. Although they both take place in a high school setting the time periods differ dramatically. High School Musical takes place in the early 2000’s so the norms in the movie are more like the norms that appear in society today. In Grease, the time period is in the 1970’s so there are different norms. One of these norms is the way that Danny becomes popular in his high school. He has a nonchalant attitude and does not respect the adults around him nor the rules set by his society. Troy on the other hand is a decent student with a large amount of respect towards adult figures in his life like his father and the musical teacher, Ms. Darba. Despite all his respect for his school work and authority figures he is still seen as popular which is opposite of Danny in Grease. 

The ending of the two films are very different as well. In High School Musical, Troy’s participation in the musical causes the student body to become more accepting with each other despite what clique each person seems to be in. In Grease the final scene shows Sandy altering her good girl persona to fit in with the popular trouble maker persona. The two movies end with two very different lessons which could be explained by the time period they were both produced. High School Musical ended and the lesson learned was to be more accepting, a lesson that kids are taught a lot in today’s society. Grease’s ending seems to teach young girls that they should change how they act and believe in just to appeal to the man they are with. That is a lesson that may be seen as unacceptable in today’s society but was more accepting in the time the movie was produced. 

In conclusion, the two movies have many similarities and differences inside of their individual plot lines. The differences are due to the difference in time periods that the movies were produced as well as the message the producers were attempting to pass along to viewers. The similarities include the age of all the characters as well as a protagonist male facing an internal conflict about their own reputation. Both movies appeal to young female viewers and both incorporate musical numbers within the films. 

 