Chances are, if you grew up in the early 2000s the "High School Musical" movies were a big part of your childhood. But one question remains... which movie is the best? Well, as someone still passionately obsessed with the movies, I am here to answer that for you once and for all. It's the third and final movie,
"High School Musical 3: Senior Year." I recognize that I don't share this opinion with many people, hence my reason for writing this article. While all of the movies are amazing works of art, this is the clear winner. Here are some of the most important reasons that the third is the best...contrary to every other movie franchise ever.

1. It had the highest budget

As we all know, the third movie is the only one that premiered in theaters, the other two were released exclusively on Disney Channel and went straight to DVD. A movie made for theaters and a movie made for television have significantly different budgets. I'm talking a 6 million dollar difference. The first "High School Musical" movie had a budget of only 5 million dollars, and while of course it was an iconic, phenomenal film, the 11 million dollar budget for the third film made a world of difference. While watching the third film, it is immediately clear that they had a lot more money to work with, allowing for more artistic and creative choices that they may not have been able to do without it. Look at "I Want It All" for example. It clearly would not have been possible without the extra money in the budget, and it is by far one of the best scenes and songs in the entire film. Basically, so much of what makes this movie great is due to the high budget. I am well aware that money is not everything, but when it comes to making incredible movies, a high budget certainly helps.

2. It has the most romantic, beautiful song of the series

If you claim that "Can I Have This Dance" was not your childhood relationship goals, you are a flat out liar. They waltzed on the roof of the school in the rain, singing together because they were that much in love. And once we got into high school, it was basically every girl's dream promposal, but that didn't happen to anyone. My prom date painted "Prom?" on a Hard Boiled egg... but that's another story. "Can I Have This Dance" is also the go-to future wedding song for all "High School Musical" fanatics, including myself. It is just such a genuine and beautiful song that you can't help but love. There isn't a song like that in either of the other movies.

3. Ryan's big break!

If you are anything like me, you'll agree that Ryan Evans was always the most underrated character of the franchise. He was kindhearted, talented, funny, and humble, all of the qualities that make up a great character. His defining trait for me, however, was his loyalty. He always stuck by his stubborn twin sister's side despite how horribly she treated him. All the meanwhile, he was nothing but friendly and kind to the Wildcat squad. He had a gigantic heart and his character development over the three movies was hands down the best. However, in the first two movies he was horribly underrated. Sharpay always stole his spotlight and the Wildcats would often just associate him with her. It was clear that all throughout his high school career, he always got the short end of the stick.In this movie, everything was looking up for Ryan. In the beginning of the movie, Ryan learns he is a contender for a prestigious Julliard dance scholarship, and that he has the honor of choreographing their final musical. Throughout the entirety of the film, Ryan is happy, has a lot of friends, and has learned to distance himself from his sister while still being a good brother. In the end, it is revealed that Ryan and Kelsi are both recipients of the Julliard scholarship. This moment is incredibly heartwarming because the two most underrated characters in the series get to go to one of the most prestigious performing arts schools on a scholarship. Neither of them were main characters, they were the underdogs and all of their underappreciated hard work ended up paying off in the end. Even the audience didn't expect them to come out on top. I think that's an incredibly unique trait to this movie, and something that should not be ignored.

4. Gabriella Gets Into Stanford's Early College Program

We always knew that Gabriella was a genius, but the fact that she was accepted into Stanford's early college program demonstrates her brains on a whole other level. This movie, in particular, explored her intellect and independence in far more detail than the other two. Stanford is one of the most prestigious schools in the entire country, many school valedictorians don't even get in, never mind their early honors program. Gabriella worked so hard her entire life to get her there, and she wouldn't let anyone get in her way... even Troy. She knew what was best for her and refused to let a boy get in the way, and while that did disappoint a lot of us, it was an important lesson to include.In the end, all worked out between Troy and Gabriella and she didn't have to sacrifice her education. Gabriella is such an important character because she was, and still is, an extremely positive female (POC) role model for young children. While she was popular and dating the most popular boy in school, she remained focused on her studies and passionate about her success. Not to mention, her best friend, Taylor McKessie went off to Yale University with plans of being the future president of the United States. This movie showed little girls everywhere that they can have a social life, and be smart and successful, contrary to most other films taking place in High School.

5. Troy's unsure career path

This plot line was so important for several reasons. Troy was the star basketball player and the coaches son. His whole life his path was laid out for him, he was going to go to the University of Albuquerque to play basketball. But, he wasn't sure if that was what he wanted. So, when Mrs. Darbus announced that he was being considered for a Julliard scholarship for performing arts, he begins to question that even further. Especially considering he was a jock, the stigma surrounding the performing arts as being "feminine" and "unmanly" definitely played a toll on his hesitation.

Aside from that, however, Troy doesn't even know which he wants to do in college. He might not want to do theater at all, but with all the pressure being put on him by those around him he finds it incredibly difficult to come to a decision of his own. This is an important feeling to include because there are so many High School students that are unsure of what they want to do with their lives and everyone around them is nagging them to make a decision.

For these students, this adds a whole other layer of stress in the college decision-making process. So, seeing this feeling represented in the seemingly perfect Troy Bolton can mean a lot to these High School students who aren't sure of their futures. It demonstrates that everyone has to face a lot of tough decisions in their lifetime, and sometimes it's okay to let some people down if it's what you really want for yourself. His decision, in the end, to go to U CAL-Berkeley to study theater and play on their basketball team also fought against the stigma that if you like sports, you can't like theater and vice versa. While we did see Troy struggle between theater and basketball in the first movie, it wasn't of the same caliber; there was less at stake.

6. We actually saw the musical!

I think we were all a little disappointed when we didn't get to see any part of Kelsi's "Twinkle Town Musicale" in "High School Musical"...we all wanted to know what kind of show could possibly connect "Breaking Free", "Bop to the Top", and "What I've Been Looking For". So when "High School Musical 3" gave us the musical we were all waiting for, it was definitely a relief. It was nice to actually see the Wildcats work together and create this show from scratch to make something brilliant and unique to them. This added an aspect to the movie that none of the others could ever live up to.

7. The music is just better

Let's all be honest. The music in the third movie is so much more fun, well-developed, and meaningful. Nothing can beat "The Boys Are Back", "Scream", "I Want It All", and "I Just Want To Be With You". If you can honestly tell me that none of these songs make you want to get up and dance, punch a wall, or kiss someone, I'm probably not going to trust you. Sure the second movie offers us "Bet On It" and "Gotta Go My Own Way", but frankly, it's not enough to beat the pure beauty of this soundtrack. It is evident that so much more time, thought, and effort were put into the songs of the third movie.

And that concludes my list of reasons why High School Musical 3 is the best out of all of the "High School Musical" movies. It's nothing personal "High School Musical" One and Two, you guys are amazing, but the prototype is never as good as the finished product, is it?