Forget about worrying whether or not they'll get a passing grade -- the stars of the Disney Channel's original movie "High School Musical" have not only zinged by with flying colors, they've graduated to superstardom:

Not only has the movie a monster hit since its debut in January, it has taken the nation by storm with a No. 1 soundtrack album on both the Billboard and Amazon.com sales charts. And, apart from the album selling more than 2 million copies, it's spawned some hit songs and top downloads like "Breaking Free," "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "Start of Something New." Plus, there's a sequel in the works.

For those who haven't seen the film, Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens star as Troy and Gabriella, a high school basketball star and brainy academic who meet at a karaoke contest and discover common grounds -- a love for music and a fondness for one another.

But when the pair decides to try out for the high school musical, the idea isn't being met with the same kind of enthusiasm. Brother and sister act Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) and Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) are considered shoo-ins for the leads, and they don't like being threatened. Gabriella's new best friend Taylor (Monique Coleman) and Troy's best buddy and basketball teammate Chad (Corbin Bleu) are against the tryout, too.

Off screen, they're one big, happy group, though, and this week, the six are at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., for the grand opening of the theme park's thrilling new attraction, Expedition Everest. The group took time out of their fun, yet busy schedule for an @ The Movies interview.

TL: I can't help but think you're not just at Disney World to make appearance, but to ride Expedition Everest as well. Let's start with Zac, your impressions of the ride?

Zac: It was sweet! There's a surprise thing at the end of ride and he tries to give you a high-five. That, or eat you. I'm still undecided, but the ride is very cool.

Vanessa: I thought it was really cool. There were a bunch of unexpected turns and twists. I had a blast.

Ashley: It was so much fun. I screamed the entire time! It was really cool!

Lucas: It's a nice chill ride -- not too tipsy-turvy. It's pretty exciting.

Corbin: It's incredible -- I'm a huge rollercoaster fanatic, so I had a blast. It was so awesome.

Monique: I was the most scared of the group on the ride! But I would do it again and again and again.

TL: What's great about "High School Musical" is that it's taken on a life of its own since it first aired. We're talking No. 1 album on Billboard and hit singles … are you surprised by the success of the project?

Zac: We're extremely surprised. It came from left field, as I like to say.

Vanessa: It's very overwhelming. We all had so much fun on the project, so we knew it was going to be something great. But we never knew it was going to be this big.

Ashley: We knew it was going to be good, because we all enjoyed working on it. But I'm definitely surprised by the album's success and how the movie keeps on growing with more viewers.

Lucas: I suppose I'm the skeptic of the group because I really didn't think any of this success was going to happen at all. I didn't think anyone was going to watch it at all. But like they said, we had such a great experience shooting it. That was enough for me.

Corbin: I had pretty much the same reaction as everyone else. When we first got into it, we knew we had a great script and the cast was wonderful. But as we started shooting more and more, we realized what an amazing project it was. With the album going platinum and the number of viewers we got on the first night, it's really turned out to be an incredible project.

Monique: There really isn't a weak link in this cast and I feel honored to have done it. I knew we were doing something exciting and with (director/choreographer) Kenny Ortega, you can't really go wrong.

TL: What I really love about this is it is bring parents and kids together to watch it.

Corbin: It's really a family-oriented movie. I've actually had people in their 50s and 60s come up to me and say, "We loved your movie" and I'm like, "Wow!" It's so great that everybody is able to relate to it.

Monique: It has such a powerful and positive message, and I think that's something that we really need right now in terms of television for kids, teenagers and families. It really says something about high school and getting away from the cliques -- getting away from what's "normal" and moving to a place where we believe we can do anything.

TL: I grew up with and love movie musicals. "Grease" is one of my favorites. What are your favorites? Were you influenced by any particular one?

Zac: I was actually influenced when I was younger by the cartoon movies that Disney put out, like "Cinderella" and what not. I watched those movies over and over when I was younger and the music is ingrained into my head. Nowadays, I'm still humming the tunes. It taught me the fundamentals.

Vanessa: I think one of the movies that inspired me when I was younger was "The Sound of Music" now that I think of it.

Ashley: I'd have to say that I'm a huge fan of "Annie" and "Les Miserables." I just love those musicals -- especially "Les Mis" because it's all music.

Lucas: I grew up with the classics. My Mom and I would always sit and watch "Singin' in the Rain" and "White Christmas" -- those kinds of movies.

Corbin: I grew up doing musicals and have always loved the theater, being able to sing and dance. When it comes to this "High School Musical," I drew inspiration from "Grease" and "Fame."

Monique: I'm going to have to piggyback on Corbin and say "Fame." But I also like "Bye Bye, Birdie." I could watch them forever and ever and ever.