Disney's latest TV film, High School Musical, has been a surprising phenomenon in the US.

The 'Grease for teens' TV film is an all-singing and all-dancing affair, which is shown on Disney Channel on September 22 at 6pm. The official chart-topping soundtrack is out now.

I catch up with the principal cast - Zac Efron (Troy), Vanessa Anne Hudgens (Gabriella), Corbin Bleu (Chad), Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay), Lucas Grabeel (Ryan) and Monique Coleman (Taylor).

Why do you think High School Musical was a huge success?

C: "It's a musical, and it's very interactive as kids can learn the songs and dance routines. It also has a positive message about being able to follow your dreams, and pursue what you want to do without conforming to their peers."

Z: "The music is so catchy! We can't get it out of our heads. It's a fun movie."

M: "The characters are easy to relate to. We're not a bunch of kids who all look and sound the same."

Do you identify with your characters?

Z: "Troy's the coolest nice guy in school, I'd like to be like him! I was not the coolest in school, I was very focused on my studies. I even did homework at lunch!"

C: "Chad has the same strong passion for basketball, as I have for acting. But Chad isn't open to change, he's narrow-minded and isn't willing to try new things, whereas I am the opposite."

L: "Like Chad, Ryan is narrow-minded and dresses fashionably. I'm nothing like him - I couldn't care less about fashion. And I'm not as mean-spirited as him."

M: "Taylor's smarter than I am, so I had to bump up a bit. She's a leader and popular, and I think I'm like that."

A: "Sharpay loves to perform as much as I do, and she knows what she wants to do in life, like me. But I'm not mean like her."

V: "Gabriella's very close to her mum like me. But I'm more sociable than she is."

You all looked like you had fun on set. Did you click immediately?

C: "Some of us knew each other before. All of us got along really well from the beginning."

Z: "Vanessa and I sparked from the start!"

V: "It's really easy when you're working with an attractive co-star."

M: "All the dynamics were really magnetic. We had two months' of auditions with each other before filming started, so that contributed to the rapport."

So what else have you been working on?

V: "I'm going off on my own. My album is coming out here late January 2007. It's pop-rock, pop-R&B and pop-dance, it's almost like a mix-tape."

A: "My album is out in January in the US. It's different from High School Musical, with edgy pop tracks as I'm trying to appeal to an older audience."

C: "My album will hopefully be coming out next March, and has a pop-R&B feel. I play piano so I'm trying to incorporate that. I'll be the next Usher!"

M: "I'm in the US version of Dancing With The Stars - you all better vote for me!"

L: "I just finished Halloweentown and I'm going to a Smallville episode."

Z: "I'm filming Hairspray in Toronto, and then chill."

By Shereen Low