Sky High (2005)

Set in an era where superheroes are commonly known and accepted, young William Stronghold, the son of the Commander and Jetstream, tries to find a balance between being a normal teenager and an extraordinary being.

Director:

Mike Mitchell

Writers:

Paul Hernandez, Robert Schooley (as Bob Schooley)

Stars:

Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Michael Angarano

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Angarano	...	Will Stronghold
Kurt Russell	...	Steve Stronghold / The Commander
Kelly Preston	...	Josie Stronghold / Jetstream
Danielle Panabaker	...	Layla
Christopher Wynne	...	News Anchor (as Chris Wynne)
Kevin Heffernan	...	Ron Wilson, Bus Driver
Dee Jay Daniels	...	Ethan (as Dee-Jay Daniels)
Kelly Vitz	...	Magenta
Loren Berman	...	Little Larry
Nicholas Braun	...	Zach
Malika	...	Penny
Khadijah	...	Penny
Jake Sandvig	...	Lash
Will Harris	...	Speed
Mary Elizabeth Winstead	...	Gwen Grayson / Royal Pain

Storyline

It all begins when young Will Stronghold, the son of the two famous superheroes: Steve and Josie, A.K.A. the incredibly strong, seemingly invulnerable Commander and and the high-speed flying Jetstream. However, Will does not actually know if he has any powers of his own, and has not told his parents this. He and his best friend, Layla are facing their first day of a secret school in the clouds like none on earth: Sky High, the first and only high school for kids with super-human powers going through crime-fighting puberty. But with no apparent superpowers of his own, however, Will seems destined to grow up a mere sidekick. But as he discovers his true strengths, he'll also learn that it takes loyalty and teamwork to truly become a hero!

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Plot Keywords:

coming of age | non comic book superhero | sidekick | friend | high school | 

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Taglines:

Brains, Brawn And Beyond.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action violence and some mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [Brazil] Disney [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

29 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Súper escuela de héroes

Filming Locations:

410 Prospect Cir, South Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,631,784, 31 July 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$63,946,815

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$86,369,815

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures,Gunn Films,Max Stronghold Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 86 min (TBS print)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is an Aquabats show poster on the wall in Gwen Grayson's room. On that poster, there are five bands, the Aquabats, the Mosleys, the Moon Monkeys, the Immortals, and My Superhero. The Aquabats are a band made of superheroes. The Mosleys, a garage sounding band, founded by Paul Frank, the same person who founded the clothing line Paul Frank clothing. The Moon Monkeys, a space-surf band consisting of super Chimps in space, The Immortals, a surf-punk band, whose singer also produces and directs low budget science fiction movies, and My Superhero, who's name, by chance, worked well for the theme of this movie.

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Goofs

Penny is supposed to be one person who has the power to multiply herself but when fighting Layla in the cafeteria you can pretty easily tell the difference between the twins who play her, their hair is parted a little differently and one is slightly shorter.

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Quotes

Zach: [dancing ridiculously] Hey, you wanna dance?
Magenta: No.
Zach: [stops dancing] Me neither.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits are decorated with still-frame comic-book illustrations. One of the still frames has a single animated element - a purple monster's eye, which moves and blinks. (It appears just before the music credits.)

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Alternate Versions

On Cartoon Network, TBS, and TNT, sixteen scenes were cut out.

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Connections

Spoofs Speed (1994)

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Soundtracks

Lies
Written by Alannah Currie, Joseph Leeway, Thomas Bailey
Produced by Mike Denneen
Performed by The Click Five
Courtesy of Lava Records LLC

User Reviews

Great idea carried out well

Kurt Russell went back to his Disney roots with Sky High, a fresh take on the superhero craze. The story revolves around Will Stronghold( Michael Angarano) who is the kid of two superhero parents, The Commander( Kurt Russell) and Jetstream( Kelly Preston). Will is off to be a freshman at his dad's alma mater- Sky High, a school for superheroes where they can find their powers and learn how to use them. High school angst is then thrown into the mix as Will and his new group of friends, headed up by the typical girl best friend Layla( Danielle Panabaker), are told they don't fit the superhero mold and become sidekicks, otherwise known as the losers of the school.

I loved the idea of this movie and the people in it seemed to be having a great time. The roles were cast perfectly and it was easy to believe everyone. A few favorites were Warren Peace( Steven Strait), Layla and Zach( Nicholas Braun). Sure the plot was a tad predictable, both in the superhero plot and in the teen drama area but because of the setting and the mix it made it still worth seeing. Also, anything that has Bruce Campbell, who plays Coach Boomer, is automatically quirky enough to be given a chance. Of course the world ends up in danger and the underdogs must fight to save it, but for once I wasn't upset that I knew it all.

Disney needed a hit as the past few movies it's put out that were live action failed to do much. I think Sky High is it. Action for the boys, cute boys and drama for the girls and Kurt Russell for the moms- great family movie. All I can end with is I can't wait for it to come out on video.