SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD student Kellynn Chan has been a High School Musical fan since she was 13. Three years on, she still has the High School Musical and High School Musical 2 soundtracks on repeat 24/7.

'The music from High School Musical really gets me going. The energy of the actors makes me feel very lively when I'm singing along to the music and watching the shows,' she says.

She is also a fan of other teen pop idols in the Disney family, such as Miley Cyrus from the wildly successful Hannah Montana series, as well as Demi Lovato and her Camp Rock co-stars, the Jonas Brothers.

Like millions of teenagers around the world, Kellynn has gone gaga over Disney's most successful franchise to date.

Since the made-for-television film premiered in 2006, High School Musical has been seen by more than 250 million viewers worldwide on the Disney Channel.

The musical drama about high school life and puppy love in the fictional East High has made household names of the leads: Zac Efron, 21, and Vanessa Hudgens, 19. Both have graced countless magazine covers and made it into the list of top earners among young Hollywood stars.

But the greatest affirmation of the franchise's success is its big leap to the big screen. It is the first Disney original movie to graduate to a theatrical release with High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which opens here on Friday.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times' Life!