High School Musical premiered 20 years ago today - and fans are feeling nostalgic (and old)

Today marks the 20th anniversary of High School Musical, and fans can't believe two decades have passed since the iconic Disney Channel movie was released.

The film saw East High's star basketball player and captain Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), and new girl and science whiz Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) sing a karaoke duet together at a New Year's party, and the two go on to audition accidentally for the school's Spring Musical - much to the annoyance of the drama club leads Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale), and Ryan Evans (Lucas Gabeel).

Being pulled between their love of sports and science, respectively, and their newfound passion for singing, we see how the two navigate challenging cliques and stereotypes to pursue all of their interests.

We also see how Troy’s best friend Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) and Gabriella's best friend Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman) weren't initially supportive of their friends' musical pursuits, but ultimately come together and have their backs in the end (and fall in love with each other in the process).

(L-R, standing) Actresses Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Monique Coleman and Ashley Tisdale, (L-R, kneeling) and actors Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel and Zac Efron attend a Q&A session with the cast and producers of the Disney Channel and Walt Disney Home Entertainment's "High School Musical" at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel on May 4, 2006 in Hollywood, California. Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images

It wouldn't be a Disney movie musical without some memorable tracks, such as the first duet with 'The Start of Something New', basketball anthem 'Get'cha Head in the Game', school ensemble 'Stick to the Status Quo', the catchy 'Bop to the Top', the anthemic 'Breaking Free', and the big team spirit number 'We're All in This Together'.

At the time, the film, directed by choreographer and filmmaker Kenny Ortega, was watched by 7.7 million viewers in the US, and as a result, it set a new Disney Channel record and has since gone on to be a beloved classic which developed into a franchise as two films High School Musical 2 (2007) and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) then followed.

The fact that High School Musical premiered on this day in 2006 has been a big topic of conversation on social media, as many fans share how this milestone makes them feel old.

One person said, "TWENTY years.. just heard my back crack from being geriatric."

"We reached the point where High School Musical is as old as Grease was when our parents would talk about it to us," a second person wrote, along with a photo of Demi Moore's character from body horror film The Substance.

A third person said, "Me now that High School Musical turns 20," sharing a GIF to demonstrate how old they feel.

"High School Musical (the original) is now by definition 'vintage'," a fourth person said, (letting that one sink in...)

Where can I watch High School Musical?

If you want to celebrate the 20th anniversary by giving High School Musical a rewatch, it is available to stream on Disney+

Elsewhere from Indy100, We finally know why Ryan wasn't openly gay in High School Musical, and Tell Me Lies Season 3: What happened in episodes 1-3?

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