Why isn't Disney getting sued for "High School Musical"?- Page 2

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:29pm

True. You'd have to sue their agents.

Or just sue the treble clef.

Unless it was written for viola. Then you could sue the alto clef, which is in dire need of publicity.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 8:49pm

If you were to lift a song (I believe the rule is) nine words and 12 notes have to be sequentially identical for it to qualify in court as stolen material.

According to my entertainment law class last semester, there's no rule that states how many notes or words constitute plagiarism. It just has to be not "de minimus" (I think that's the right term -- basically, the court does not deal with trivialities) and in fair use cases (parody, education, research, etc.) you can't take more than is absolutely necessary.

For example, if an English class is studying a scene from Beckett, the teacher can photocopy that scene and distribute it to the students without trouble. If the teacher photocopies the entire play, than she could face a copyright infringement suit.

Plagiarism is settled on a case-by-case basis.

[roquat]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 3:28pm

I agree that the ripoffs (and I am going to continue to call them that; get used to it) in HSM could technically qualify as "parody." I guess I'm just used to parodies being funny.

And to whomever told me to "accept the success of HSM because it's giving everyone in this business lots of work"--what good is making a living if you wake up every day hating your life?

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:02pm

Grease was not the first show to have boy meets girl and have to act like you don't know them. If we are going to have this argument, why don't we talk about musical version of plays. It can be a rip off of the play if you wanna consider it that way. All you did was change a few scenes and add music and SHAZAM....new show!

[ABB2357]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:05pm

This is probably one of the least popular opinions I'll ever give, but I find the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL series, as insipid, formulaic, and completely unoriginal as it is, to be a worthy successor to the B-level musicals Hollywood was churning out in the 30s and 40s.

Anyone who has seen these films (the Deanna Durbin series from Universal, Esther Williams and the Mickey/Judy series from MGM, among many others) knows that the situations are completely stock with reed-thin characters, and any conflict is simply an excuse for the fresh-faced cast to burst into song. As fun and cutesy as they are, they don't have the wit or brains of an A-level musical like SINGIN' IN THE RAIN or MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, much like HSM will never be MOULIN ROUGE or CHICAGO.

Am I saying that HSM is Busby Berkeley caliber, or that Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens are comparable to Mickey and Judy? Absolutely not. I'm just pointing out that the formula used throughout the years is exactly the same, the same paradigm that created GREASE, the Frankie/Annette beach party movies, GIDGET, FOOTLOOSE, etc.

The first two films were more or less lazy TV movies with the occasional burst of charm and energy, but I thought the third really stood out and was certainly more unabashedly entertaining than a lot of new Broadway musicals we've seen recently. The actors had grown into their performances and the choreography was surprisingly inventive at times. Call me crazy, but it's the truth! Updated On: 9/16/09 at 04:05 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:08pm

I am not going to lie and, in fact, I'll say it proudly.

I AM A FAN OF THIS SERIES AND OWN ALL THREE SOUNDTRACKS AND LISTEN TO THEM ALL THE TIME!!! *does split and pulls groin muscle*

Updated On: 9/16/09 at 04:08 PM

[sondheimgeek]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:11pm

And to whomever told me to "accept the success of HSM because it's giving everyone in this business lots of work"--what good is making a living if you wake up every day hating your life?

Who is waking up every day and hating his/her life because of this show? Just because you despise the show doesn't mean everyone else hates it. And it can be fun to have a laugh at how awful certain shows are. I'm sure the cast and crew of the touring company have had a good laugh during the run of this show.

Did you also think about how it's entertaining the younger generation? If this show makes some children smile, then what is the problem? This show isn't physically or emotionally abusing anybody, so what's the problem?

I also highly doubt that those involved with the touring production are waking up every day hating his/her life. Though I can't give an exact number, I'm sure the cast and crew of HSM are making a pretty decent pay. What's to hate about performing/running a show for Disney and getting paid to do so?

Updated On: 9/16/09 at 04:11 PM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:16pm

Though High School Musica takes many ideas from other musical it's so hard to prove that stuff in a court of law. You can't really copyright ideas. If things were stolen word for word that'd be another story. But saying a number is "like Summer Nights" isn't going to hold in a court of law.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:16pm

Roquat, did you just wake up from a coma or something?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:20pm

Yeah, performing live for thousands of happy cheering fans who adore your show sucks BIG TIME. Pure misery. It's too bad the entire cast is forced into the show with no way out. If there was only a way performers could avoid being cast in a show they know they will hate. Unfortunately, until federal laws change, they have no other options but to endure their enslavement and unending torture.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:21pm

I wish I could hate my life like that

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:37pm

Besides everyone knows that Disney keeps their slaves on It's a Small World not High School Musical. Get your facts straight.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 4:44pm

Phyllis - That made me laugh myself into a coughing fit. It sounds like the premise to a new Lifetime movie.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 5:52pm

you guys do realize the original working title was Grease 3 and was based off such musicals as Grease and West Side Story. but why would anyone want to put up a lawsuit against the disney corpiration and the HSM franchise but in the mean time
lets just sue every director,book writer,composer out there.
Updated On: 9/16/09 at 05:52 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 5:58pm

For that matter, why isn't American Pie suing Glee?

[PastorErnst]

Posted: 9/16/09 at 6:18pm

What amuses me the most is this argument that always somehow manages to get drudged up: HSM is insipid, formulaic and completely unoriginal. It doesn't have the wit or brains of A-level musicals like Singin' in the Rain or Meet Me in St. Louis, Moulin Rouge or Chicago. Blah blah blah...

Seriously... At what point was Disney trying to make a classic movie musical? For goodness sake, it was a MADE FOR TV MOVIE! By no means was it made to please the hardcore musical theatre goer. It was made to please families and tweens. How stupid do you feel that you're picking apart a movie musical that was made for brainless family fun?

[roquat]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 3:56pm

Actually, when I worked on HSM, everyone in it routinely made fun of every single moment, including the director. The stage manager would say, "It's time to rehearse the 'Summer Nights' scene", or "Time to do the 'Chorus Line' segment." They weren't enjoying themselves, though; it was a defense mechanism. They laughed to keep from crying (or going nuts).

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 3:59pm

Well, that's because you all sold out.

[roquat]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 4:02pm

Then there was the time the director wanted to make a slight adjustment to an actress' line, saying, "I know what they were going for here; they just didn't write it very well." With perfect timing, she responded, "You mean, like the rest of the script?" Everyone fell on the floor laughing.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 4:05pm

You cashed the check, though, right? Or was it a volunteer production?

[roquat]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 4:09pm

Yes, but how many other people on this board have worked on shows they hated (or found psychologically repulsive)? Doesn't seem to me that any of them "kept quiet" about it...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 4:10pm

I would imagine few people have performed in shows they found psychologically repulsive.

[roquat]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 4:13pm

Then you've never done STARMITES...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 4:33pm

'Tis true.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 9/18/09 at 2:17pm

"Grease 3" wasn't the working title. It was a nickname given to the project, because Disney was hoping that it would become this generation's Grease.

I agree that there is no way that someone could use "_____blank is like Grease", or "_____blank is like Bye Bye Birdie".

In Jerry Herman's autobiography, he speaks about when he was sued for the opening vamp of the song "Hello Dolly". I believe it was Jule Styne who told him that he was now a famous songwriter, now that someone was suing him, and to think of the incident as a form of flatery. That's the way these musicals should feel about HSM. The makers of HSM are paying their dues to the famous musicals that paved the way for something like HSM (although its nowhere near West Side Story, etc,)

I also feel that HSM is good for the younger generation because if they like HSM, then it will *hopefully* nudge kids into researching other musicals, and lead them to a great love of classic shows like The King And I, Mame, Fiddler, etc.

They are