South Park (TV Series) Elementary School Musical (2008) User Reviews

Great Episode!

[tash_goldie · 9/10 · 3 February 2009]

Without a doubt, this is one of the best episodes of season 12! The school has become obsessed with High School Musical, and everyone but the boys has taken up singing and dancing. Stan worries over losing Wendy to a third-grader, and the other three aim to save their dignity by staying out of the fad altogether.

It might be yet another movie parody, but let's face it: it's about time someone parodied HSM, and South Park's usual rude, crude and controversial nature made the kids' transformation into the epitome of political correctness (with lyrics like 'everyone is special in their own way') that much more jarring and hilarious. The domestic abuse storyline could have become unwatchable but was saved by its satisfactory resolution, and the banter between the main boys was classic! Also, the last song and dance routine just made the whole episode worthwhile.

Bottom line: if you don't like HSM, you'll love this. And if you haven't seen HSM, just sit back and enjoy the music :)

One of the best episodes of Season 12!

[gangstahippie · 9/10 · 13 November 2008]

Elementary School Musical is a spoof of the popular Disney "High School Musical" franchise.Season 12 was not really as good as other seasons, though it did have some great episodes.This is one of them.I was in elementary school before the High School Musical films came out so I don't know how kids in elementary reacted to this movie, I doubt they started singing musical numbers though.The episode has all the kids loving the high school musical franchise while Stan,Kyle,Kenny,Cartman and this new kid with a lisp and diabetes do not.They watch the film and think its stupid.But Wendy seems to take a liking to this third grader who is big on the singing/dancing.Stan now must stop him.He finds out the kid likes basketball instead of dancing but his abusive(and effeminate) father will not let him play.This episode has some really funny moments and is one of the best episodes of Season 12!

Don't be fooled by the title, this is a very entertaining and astute episode of South Park

[SLionsCricketreviews · 8/10 · 18 January 2018]

As someone who has so been greatly underwhelmed by the twelfth season (feelings I have yet to experience with this show), I strongly feel "Elementary School Musical" is one of the best episodes of the season. As the title makes clear, it is a parody of High School Musical and astutely observes pop culture obsessions and how they can become integrated into peoples' everyday lives.

One day, the kids discover that High School Musical is the cool new thing in town as all the other students become all singin', all dancin'. Except for Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny who cannot begin to understand what is so special about it.

There is one real criticism I have about this episode and it has to do with how Wendy is characterized in this episode. She is the cool girl, the one who leads all the sing alongs and the one who gets the main female role in the theater production. Within the context of the episode, Wendy has to be the popular girl (something that I feel another character, perhaps Bebe is more suited to being) so that the parody of High School Musical and its story coming into fruition for Stan works. It feels a little distracting to see Wendy's characterization be inconsistent here.

Otherwise, I adore this episode. There's a newly introduced character here, Bridon, who leads the boys in the sing alongs until he reveals to Stan his displeasure with leading the sort of life that he does not want. It leads to some drama and more importantly, humour with the father that is rather memorable.

To see Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman resist the fad until its pressure and temptation consumes them is great and the final scene is equal parts memorable and humiliating...and boy is it fantastic. The final punchline for this episode is very memorable too and the idea that the boys finally embracing all singin' all dancin' as the source of the fad dying out (alongside the fact that Bridon obviously signs up for basketball instead of theatre) is brilliant.

There's some great and funny musical numbers in this episode and a nice commentary on fads relating to pop culture obsessions that is entertaining. With the exception of how Wendy is characterized and the forceful Stan/Wendy angle (I felt it could have been omitted for a smoother episode) which does actually feed into the parody element of High School Musical, "Elementary School Musical" is very entertaining and among the better episodes of this rather disappointing twelfth season.

if now a thing like High School Musical is cool then...

[RainDogJr · 9/10 · 14 November 2008]

Yesterday I went to the movie theater having already seen this great episode and yes I saw a little girl with her mother in front of me buying their tickets to watch the extremely $ucce$$ful High School Musical the part 3. Again in South Park we have recent events, certainly this franchise is the thing between the kids. Elementary School Musical, all the kids dance and sings, Butters is such a big fan, certainly the girls are in love with the movies and with the younger but great dancer and singer Bridon, we have our musical but our main characters are just watchers, they are confused while the whole school is making their own High School Musical. Certainly Stan, Cartman, Kyle and Kenny doesn't disappoints with their reaction after finally watching the first High School Musical movie on DVD, the best selling DVD with a new movie on theaters that earned millions during the opening weekend, Cartman is such a great character and his words are so damn great, if now a thing like High School Musical is cool then he (and I hope everyone else) is not longer connected to the world! Is very interesting since the episode is a musical, Stan will be worry since now Wendy is closer to Bridon then the whole set of the musical is ready for Stan but he will not be part of it, the background music is ready, the "extras" are ready but Stan will not do it! Bridon has also his subplot, classic stuff since he s the star, the most popular kid yet he just don't enjoy singing and dancing, he just want to play basketball and here enters his father, hilarious stuff. He is the opposite, he doesn't want a "sport son" and he will slap everyone who disagrees with him (looks the hilarious scene with Mr. Mackey) but he is such a fag. And we have more classic stuff, Stan is the only one who is suffering, of course because of Wendy, he will end singing and dancing but not before he make us laugh by singing happy birthday to you! But Stan will get the help of the rest of the gang, certainly Stan looked as a fag while watching High School Musical movies however the fact that now Butters is consider to be way cooler than them will make that Kyle, Cartman and Kenny join Stan to become great singers and dancers just to find the reality (the lyrics of their song are damn funny, something like "do what you wanna do just make sure it is popular with everyone else" and Kenny is wearing a shirt of The Rolling Stones!). Simply a terrific episode, oh and did I mention that Cartman is on fire making fun of Scott Malkinson?

South Park Musical!

[niallb_arseface · 8/10 · 13 November 2008]

Woooo season 12 finally has an awesome episode under its belt, and it's all about the annoying High School Musical fad. Now i've never seen any of these HSM films, but if their anything like this episode, then umm, I don't imagine I will be seeing them any time soon.

Everyone in South Park Elementary has seen High School Musical 3....apart from the boys. Crazed pupils constantly break into upbeat songs, and Butters turns into one of the popular kids. Dumbfounded by what they see, they all vow never to join the fad. But when Stan see's Wendy pining over Bryden, he realises he could lose her, he doesn't want to sing, so he persuades Bryden he should pursue his dream. Enter Brydens Theater obsessed father, who sings in sentences and abuses with a "suuuper hard slap" to the face, he forbids Bryden to play "sissy sports", as it would be hugely embarrassing for him. Meanwhile the boys (minus Stan) are hanging out with Scott Malkinson, these small sections in the episode have hilarious banter, which is another reason I liked the episode a lot.

I didn't find myself waiting for the episode to end, which is what has been happening more frequently with South Park, but overall it's a good episode and well worth the watch!

A good Stan episode.

[brian-linton1 · 7/10 · 19 April 2019]

Hi I think this is a good Stan episode for those that complain there is too few of them.... In this episode he's just trying to fit in with the High School Musical fad... if there ever was one. LOL it's a funny episode and Scott Malkinson is in it

Ouch

[syncopatedrhythm · 1/10 · 13 November 2008]

I love South Park. I think the writing is brilliant, but this last episode with the High School Musical parody just made me very angry. Just watching the overly fem Dad slap people was painful to watch. I think they push the limits on a lot of stories but the actual hitting, even though it is a faggy hand slap, of women and children is just wrong. I have never fast forwarded through an episode before watching this one. I just had to fast forward the singing, I couldn't help but to cringe most of the time. This is the worst episode ever. I usually can get what the writers are trying to rip on and or their take on a certain issue of person, but this time I felt totally lost. I guess maybe it is just a whole peer pressure issue, but the gay slapping just made me confused. If I could give negative stars I would give it negative infinity stars I hated it that much.

Topical humor is lower than shadow puppets

[phenomynouss · 1/10 · 28 January 2009]

Episodes like these remind me of something once said by the creators in a documentary on 60 Minutes. It was something along the line of that they do a lot of episodes of spoofing pop culture and the like, but that their best and favorite episodes are the ones just about the kids, taking place within their lives.

Maybe stuff like this is their reaction to that. Or their true opinions. Because this was one of the many filler episodes they've churned out about a hot pop culture topic that would soon grow old and stale within a year or more.

There was really nothing memorable in this episode except for a line by Stan when the kids watch High School Musical, in which he says that if this is what kids these days think is cool, then "we are really getting old, you guys", and Cartman going to kill himself. Of course he doesn't really, and gives yet another bit of topical humor in "Frickin' hybrids, man." I don't quite think this would qualify as what people would say of the creators "running out of ideas", but episodes like these are memorable to only one group of fans; those who like High School Musical. Even that wouldn't be enough to endear this to very many. It was clear filler.

noononononononoonononono

[inigopointon · 1/10 · 7 October 2016]

the ending is the most unpleasant betrayal of the characters i could think of, and the singing is unbearable, an all round unpleasant episode for big fans of the show. it is a spit in the face to fans and characters alike. I knew matt and trey liked to make Kyle (the best character) suffer but I even felt bad for cartman. this episode is torturous and is a real example of why I can't like stan or any of his episode as much as I should and why I feel that he has too many episodes focusing on him as what he has done caused this episode to be a sheer spit in the face to all who aren't insane sadists or find family guy and new simpsons funny, this is the early signs of mid seasonal rot for the show, although i feel that it gets better in the later seasons, if you care about the show and its characters don't even consider watching.