Disney’s High School Musical: Music makes the world go ‘round’

This article examines the Walt Disney Company’s contemporary globalization strategies, primarily focusing on Disney’s customization efforts for the media franchise, High School Musical, in various parts of the world, including the customization of songs and the soundtrack(s); the customization of the marketing and promotional campaign in India and South East Asia; and the customization of the musical itself in Latin-America and China. The article concludes that perhaps for the first time, Disney’s musical-based multimedia global franchises allow the company to customize its brands to appeal even more to teen fans across the world cost-­effectively while further contributing to the standardization and commercialization of children’s mediated cultures worldwide.