''Sky High'' is a 2005 American

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Mike Mitchell, and written by Paul Hernandez, and ''

Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...

'' creators Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle. The film stars

Kelly Preston Kelly Kamalelehua Smith (October 13, 1962 – July 12, 2020), known professionally as Kelly Preston, was an American actress. She appeared in more than 60 television and film productions, including '' Mischief'' (1985), ''Twins'' (1988), ' ...

Michael Angarano Michael Anthony Angarano (born December 3, 1987) is an American actor. He became known for his roles in the film ''Music of the Heart'' (1999) and the television series '' Cover Me'' (2000–2001), as well as for playing a recurring role as Elli ...

Danielle Panabaker Danielle Nicole Panabaker (born September 19, 1987) is an American actress. She began acting as a teenager and came to prominence for her roles in the The Walt Disney Company, Disney films ''Stuck in the Suburbs'' (2004), ''Sky High (2005 film), ...

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Mary Elizabeth Winstead (born November 28, 1984) is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was that of Jessica Bennett (Passions), Jessica Bennett on the NBC soap opera ''Passions'' (1999–2000). She came to wider attention for h ...

and

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor before transitioning to leading roles as an adult in various genres such as action adventures, science-fiction, westerns, romance films, co ...

. It follows Will Stronghold (Angarano), the son of two superheroes, who is enrolled in an airborne high school for teenage superheroes. As his dormant superpowers manifest, he struggles to maintain his relationships with his old friends, learns of a threat from a mysterious supervillain, and searches for the girl of his dreams. The film was theatrically released by

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

on July 29, 2005, and grossed $86.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $35 million. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences during its original theatrical run and has since been recognized as a

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

Plot

Will Stronghold lives with his superhero parents, Steve Stronghold / The Commander and Josie DeMarco-Stronghold / Jetstream, in Maxville. Will is anxious about attending his parents' alma mater, Sky High, a school located on a secret floating campus, because he secretly has not developed any superpowers yet. On their first day, he, his best friend Layla Williams, and the other freshmen are harassed by seniors Speed, Lash, and Penny Lent and meet Gwen Grayson, a popular senior and technopath who Will falls for. Additionally, Will is assigned to the "Hero Support" curriculum and becomes a sidekick due to his lack of powers, though Layla joins him in protest of the school's two-track education system. Unaware of what happened to his son, Steve shows Will his hidden trophy room, the Secret Sanctum. He expresses particular fondness for the "Pacifier", a weapon he took from his presumed dead arch-nemesis Royal Pain 16 years earlier, failing to notice a hidden camera in a separate trophy. Though he befriends his fellow sidekicks, Will comes into conflict with pyrokinetic student Warren Peace, whose supervillain father was imprisoned by Steve. In the ensuing fight, Will develops his father's super-strength. Upon being transferred to the Hero curriculum, Will spends more time with Gwen and her friends, ignoring Layla and the sidekicks. Layla later confides to Warren that she has a crush on Will while Gwen comes over to Will's house to invite his parents as honored guests to the Homecoming dance and they spend the evening together. On the day before the dance, Gwen tricks Will into throwing a party at his house and has Speed secretly steal the Pacifier. Layla tries to investigate the party but falls for Gwen's lies that Will knows about her feelings for him and is too polite to reject her. As Layla leaves in tears, Will breaks up with Gwen and refuses to attend the dance. Will goes through his father's yearbook and sees a student resembling Gwen named Sue Tenny, who disappeared before his parents' graduation. Realizing that the Pacifier was stolen, Will assumes Tenny became Royal Pain and Gwen is her daughter, and heads to Sky High to stop her with help from bus driver Ron Wilson. At the dance, Gwen reveals herself as Royal Pain, having been de-aged by the Pacifier during her presumed death. With Speed, Lash, and Penny's aid, she captures and de-ages the students, staff, and Will's parents, intending to raise them as supervillains as revenge for Sky High making her a sidekick when she attended as Tenny due to her technopathy not being understood at the time. After reconciling with Layla, Will teams up with her, Warren, Ron, and the other sidekicks to rescue the captives and defeat Gwen's allies while Will fights Gwen herself. During the fight, Gwen throws Will off the school, causing him to develop Josie's flight power. Though Gwen sabotages the school's anti-gravity drive, the sidekicks successfully restart it and Will uses both of his powers to return the school to the sky. With Sky High saved, Gwen and her allies are given detention while her captives are restored to their proper ages. Ron falls into a vat of toxic waste and becomes a superhero. Will befriends Warren and enters a relationship with Layla.

Cast

as William "Will" Theodore Stronghold – A freshman at Sky High and the son of famous superheroes and Maxville real estate agents, the Commander and Jetstream, who inherited his father's super-strength and his mother's ability to fly, though they are initially dormant and gradually manifest over the course of the film. *

as Steve Stronghold / The Commander – Will's father who is reputed as one of the world's strongest superheroes, possessing

superhuman strength Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works, such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ...

and

invulnerability Vulnerability refers to "the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally." The understanding of social and environmental vulnerability, as a methodological approach, involves ...

, and a successful businessman in his secret identity. *

as Josie DeMarco-Stronghold / Jetstream – Will's mother and a successful real estate agent who can fly at supersonic speeds and is an expert hand-to-hand combatant. *

as Layla Williams – Will's botanokinetic, pacifistic, childhood best friend, next-door neighbor, and later girlfriend. *

as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Grayson / Royal Pain / Susan "Sue" Tenny – A technopathic senior at Sky High whom Will falls in love with. Winstead said of her role, "I bounced around. I was either the hero of the sidekicks or the sidekick to the heroes." Years prior, when she attended Sky High as Tenny, no one understood her powers and she was assigned to the sidekick curriculum, which eventually put her on the path to becoming a supervillain and the Commander's arch-nemesis until an accident with her "Pacifier" de-aged her during one of their battles. **

Patrick Warburton Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. His live action TV roles include David Puddy on ''Seinfeld'', the Tick (character), title character on ''The Tick (2001 TV series), The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less than Perfect'' ...

as Royal Pain (voice). *

Steven Strait Steven Strait (born March 23, 1986) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for starring as Warren Peace in the adventure film '' Sky High'' (2005) and as Jim Holden in the science fiction series '' The Expanse'' (2015–2022). Early ...

as Warren Peace – The pyrokinetic son of supervillain Baron Battle, who is in jail with four life sentences, and an unnamed superhero mother. *

Dee Jay Daniels Dee Jay Daniels (born Dorjan Lyndell Daniels; October 17, 1988) is an American former television actor and rapper. Daniels is best known for his role as Michael Hughley on the D. L. Hughley sitcom, ''The Hughleys'', playing the son of Hughley' ...

as Ethan Bank / Popsicle – A sidekick and one of Will's friends who can melt into fluid. * Kelly Vitz as Magenta "Maj" Lewis – A sidekick and one of Will's friends who can

shapeshift In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...

into a guinea pig with purple highlights and streaks in her fur similar to those in her human hair. *

Nicholas Braun Nicholas Joseph Braun (born May 1, 1988) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Hirsch in the HBO series ''Succession'' (2018–2023), for which he received three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

as Zachary "Zach" Braun / Zack Attack – A sidekick and Will's childhood friend who can glow in the dark. * Malika Haqq and Khadijah Haqq as Penny Lent – A senior at Sky High and Gwen's athletic best friend who can duplicate herself. *

Jake Sandvig Steven Jacob "Jake" Sandvig (born September 8, 1986) is an American former actor and nurse. He is best known for playing Hugh Pyne in '' Twenty Good Years'' and Preston Shackleton in '' Cracking Up''. In 2009, he made a guest appearance in '' Rub ...

as Lash – A skinny bully and senior at Sky High who has complete body elasticity. * Will Harris as Speed – An overweight bully and senior at Sky High who can move at superhuman speeds. *

Lynda Carter Lynda Jean Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant contestant, best known for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the television series ''Wonder Woman'', aired on ABC and later on CBS from 1975 to 1979. Befo ...

as Principal Powers – The principal of Sky High who can transform into a comet-like form. *

Bruce Campbell Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' horror series, beginning with the short movie '' Within the Woods'' (1978). He has also f ...

as Tommy Boomowski / Coach Boomer / Sonic Boom – Sky High's gym teacher who can release sonic waves from his vocal cords. * Kevin Heffernan as Ron Wilson – Sky High's kind-hearted bus driver and the son of two superheroes. *

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She received many accolades including 22 Primetime Emmy nominations and won eight, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus ...

as Nurse Spex – Sky High's elderly and eccentric yet kind school nurse who possesses

x-ray vision In science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the supernatural ability to see through normally opaque physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' ic ...

. *

Jim Rash James Rash (born July 15, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He played Dean Craig Pelton on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best ...

as Mr. Grayson / Stitches – Royal Pain's cackling sidekick who raised her as his daughter after she was turned into a baby by the Pacifier. *

Dave Foley David Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer, and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and fil ...

as Mr. Jonathan Boy / All-American Boy – The Commander's former sidekick who works as a Hero Support teacher at Sky High. *

Kevin McDonald Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably the 1988–1 ...

as Professor Medulla – Sky High's Mad Science teacher who possesses an oversized brain, which grants advanced intelligence, creativity, and a multitude of genius-level skills. * Loren Berman as "Big" Larry – A socially awkward student who can turn into a giant, muscular humanoid monster with rock-like skin at will. * Dustin Ingram as Carbon Copy Kid – A student with shapeshifting powers. * Nicole Malgarini as Freeze Girl – A student with cryokinetic powers. Additionally,

Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...

and

Jill Talley Jill Talley is an American actress and comedian. She is a main cast member on the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', in which she voices Karen Plankton. Her other voice roles include Sarah Dubois on Adult Swim's ''The Boondocks'' and Ri ...

make cameo appearances as Mr. and Mrs. Chester Timmerman, a couple who witness Will prevent Sky High from destroying their new home.

Production

Exterior shots of the Sky High school were filmed at the

Oviatt Library The University Library at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is located in Northridge, in the northern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. History Construction for the original library began on November 14, 1957, marki ...

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

in Northridge in late 2004. In between working on the first and second seasons of the animated series ''

'', creators Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle had begun writing a script for a live-action adaptation, which ultimately never came to fruition. Impressed with their work, the filmmakers asked them to look into re-writing the script for ''Sky High'', which had been previously shelved. McCorkle believes they were recruited for ''Sky High'' because "they liked the idea of a superhero high school. I think, reading how we wrote teens in ''Kim Possible'', they felt like, 'This feels good and contemporary, and maybe you can apply that to this project for us.' Similar to ''Kim Possibl''e, Schooley and McCorkle wrote ''Sky High'' to be equally appealing to both children and adults. According to scifi.com, Disney was attracted by the "original concept" of "children of superheroes going to high school", originally conceived by screenwriter Paul Hernandez in the 1990s. After recruiting Schooley and McCorkle to update Hernandez's script (they only wrote the beginning and ending sequences) Disney hired several comedians such as

, and Kevin Heffernan for supporting roles. For the main roles, the casting was a mix of established and new teenage actors: while

and

were already successful,

was little-known and former model

was hired after his first audition ever. Director Mike Mitchell said that ''Sky High'' functions on two premises: "the adults are all insane" and "the girls are smarter than the boys":''Sky High'' DVD extras the adults portrayed in the film tend to be caricatured, while the teenage girls are written as more assertive and powerful than the boys. The film also employed extensive usage of

Dutch angle In filmmaking and photography, the Dutch angle, also known as Dutch tilt, canted angle, vortex plane, or oblique angle, is a type of camera shot that involves setting the camera at an angle so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an ...

s. For the treatment of the teenage actors, Mitchell also stated that the actors all had their own trailers and were generally kept separated, because "we did not want them to date after the second week and break up after the fourth", which would have made filming difficult. Mitchell, a science fiction fan, admitted that the project "was a dream", because it brought him together with four of his favorite science fiction heroes:

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

actress

Snake Plissken S. D. Bob "Snake" Plissken is a fictional character who served as the protagonist of the films ''Escape from New York'' (1981) and '' Escape from L.A.'' (1996). Portrayed by Kurt Russell, the character was created by John Carpenter and Nick Cast ...

actor

Ash Williams Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams is a fictional character and the protagonist of the '' Evil Dead'' franchise. Created by Sam Raimi, he is portrayed by Bruce Campbell and is the only character to appear in each entry of the series, including a po ...

actor

, and

, who earned fame as Frau Blücher in ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Victor Fra ...

''.

Music

The soundtrack album for the film was released by

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...

on July 26, 2005, and is composed of covers of new wave songs mostly from the 1980s ("Just What I Needed" is from 1978). While none of the film's score composed by

Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino ( , ; born October 10, 1967) is an American film, television, and video game score composer. He has received many accolades for his work, including an Academy Award for ''Up (2009 film), Up'' (2009), an Emmy Award, Emmy for Lo ...

was included on the album, a limited edition of his score was released by Intrada Records in 2017. ; Track listing # "

I Melt with You "I Melt with You" is a song by the British new wave band Modern English. The song, produced by Hugh Jones, was the second single from their 1982 album '' After the Snow''. It became the band's most successful single, largely in the United S ...

" –

Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion), and Rob Felicetti (bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar). The band i ...

(originally by

Modern English Modern English, sometimes called New English (NE) or present-day English (PDE) as opposed to Middle and Old English, is the form of the English language that has been spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England England is a Count ...

) - 4:03 # "

Through Being Cool ''Through Being Cool'' is the second studio album by American rock band Saves the Day, released on November 2, 1999, by Equal Vision. The songs on ''Through Being Cool'' were written while the band members attended New York University. The albu ...

" –

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...

(originally by

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

) - 3:17 # " Save It for Later" – Flashlight Brown (originally by the Beat) - 2:49 # "

Everybody Wants to Rule the World "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by the English pop rock band Tears for Fears from their second studio album ''Songs from the Big Chair'' (1985). It was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, and Chris Hughes and produced by Hug ...

" –

Christian Burns Christian Anthony Burns (born 18 January 1974) is an English singer. He is the son of Tony Burns of the Signs, a Liverpool-based rock band signed to Decca Records in the 1960s. Career Burns was a member of the popular British band BBMak, a ...

(originally by

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands o ...

) - 4:28 # " One Thing Leads to Another" –

(originally by

the Fixx The Fixx are a rock band from London, England, founded in 1979. The band's hits include " One Thing Leads to Another", " Saved by Zero", " Are We Ourselves?", and " Secret Separation", each of which charted in the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' ...

) - 3:10 # " Lies" –

The Click Five The Click Five (often abbreviated as TC5) is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then q ...

(originally by

Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were an English Pop music, pop band, formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a New wave music, new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the early and mid-1980s, scori ...

) - 2:58 # " Voices Carry" –

Vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...

(originally by 'Til Tuesday) - 4:16 # " Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" –

Elefant Elefant ( German for "elephant") was a heavy tank destroyer (self propelled anti-tank gun) used by German ''Panzerjäger'' (anti-tank units) during World War II. Ninety-one units were built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand (after its designer F ...

(originally by

the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

) - 2:53 # "

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...

" – Cary Brothers (originally by

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet ( ) were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids (New Romantics), ...

) - 5:11 # " Just What I Needed" – Caleigh Peters (originally by

the Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

) - 3:38 # "Can't Stop the World" – Ginger Sling (originally by

the Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar ...

) - 3:25 # "

And She Was "And She Was" is a song by the American band Talking Heads from their 1985 album '' Little Creatures''. The song was written by David Byrne, who also provides the lead vocals. It reached on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and on the UK Singles ...

" – Keaton Simons (originally by

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

) - 3:49 # "Twist and Crawl" –

Skindred Skindred is a Welsh band that fuses heavy metal with other genres, most notably reggae. Formed in Newport in 1998, they are well known for their energetic and involving live performances and have won several awards including "Best Live Band" a ...

(originally by the Beat) - 2:31

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

rated the album 2.5/5, saying that it "stumbles more than it succeeds" and is "painfully conventional."

Reception

Box office

On an estimated budget of US$35 million, the film grossed just under $64 million in the US, and another $22 million internationally, bringing the total to $86 million.

Critical response

''Sky High'' received positive reviews upon release. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews from critics, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus states: "This highly derivative superhero coming-of-age flick is moderately entertaining, family-friendly fluff." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

the film has a weighted average score of 62 based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film a grade A− on a scale of A+ to F. Joe Leydon of

Variety magazine ''Variety'' is an American trade magazine owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933, ''Daily Variety'' was launched, based in ...

praised the film calling it: "Smartly written and sprightly played, ''Sky High'' satisfies with a clever commingling of spoofy superheroics, school-daze hijinks" and "this lively live-action Disney release stands on its own merits as a tongue-in-cheek fantasy with cross-generational appeal." Neil Smith at BBC.com wrote: "While originality is hardly the film's strongest suit, its agreeable mix of knowing spoof and kid-pleasing fantasy makes it considerably more engaging than some of the 'straight' superhero blockbusters we've suffered recently." Since its initial release, ''Sky High'' has been received more favorably in retrospective reviews and has developed a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

, particularly due to its lighthearted homage to superhero tropes. Mark Harrison, writing for ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...

'', summarized, "With a cast made up of bright young things and cult favourites and a script that goes

post-modern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experi ...

without ever getting arch or snarky, ''Sky High'' is a real gem from Disney’s live action catalog. It borrows from

JK Rowling Joanne Rowling ( ; born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name , is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has List of best-sell ...

John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...

, and any number of comic books and yet still stands on its own. Next to the current superhero boom, it was so ahead of its time that a decade later, it seems sharper and funnier than ever".

Home media

The film was released on DVD on November 29, 2005 and Blu-ray on November 21, 2006. It is also included on Disney's streaming service,

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Cancelled sequel and TV series

In November 2016, Disney announced a sequel to ''Sky High'' in the early development stages. In January 2019, ''Sky High'' director Mike Mitchell revealed earlier plans to make a franchise, but due to the film's box-office performance, nothing came to be. The sequel would have been titled ''Save U'' (Save University) and featured the characters from ''Sky High'' graduating from high school and attending college. There were also plans to make a TV series, which the main actors (save for Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston) had signed on to reprise their roles for, but there have been no new developments for it as of 2025. In March 2024, Mitchell still expressed interest in a sequel but pointed out that since Disney bought

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

, they only see them as their superhero output. He has stated that he would like to do a ''Sky High'' inspired project set in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control 2005 films 2005 action comedy films 2005 children's films 2005 romantic comedy films 2000s teen comedy films 2000s superhero comedy films American action comedy films Child superheroes Parody superheroes Films directed by Mike Mitchell American coming-of-age films American romantic comedy films American science fiction thriller films American high school films Walt Disney Pictures films American superhero comedy films Teen superhero comedy films Films scored by Michael Giacchino American films about revenge Fiction about superhero schools American children's comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films Films about father–son relationships Films about shapeshifting English-language action comedy films English-language romantic comedy films

Plot

Cast

Production

Music

Reception

Reception

Box office

Critical response

Home media

Cancelled sequel and TV series

See also

References

External links