High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a 2008 American teen musical film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The sequel to High School Musical 2 (2007) and the third installment of the High School Musical film series, the film follows Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez, Sharpay Evans, her twin brother Ryan Evans, Chad Danforth, and Taylor McKessie, who are in their final year of high school and face the daunting prospect of being separated as they go off to college. Joined by the rest of their East High classmates, they stage their last spring musical, reflecting their experiences, hopes, and fears about the future.

Kenneth John Ortega is an American filmmaker, touring manager, and choreographer. He is known for directing the films Newsies, Hocus Pocus, The Cheetah Girls 2, High School Musical, Michael Jackson's This Is It, Descendants, and Julie and the Phantoms. He also choreographed the films One from the Heart, St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Dirty Dancing; and directed multiple concert tours for Cher, Gloria Estefan, Miley Cyrus, and Michael Jackson. For his work, Ortega was honored with both a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Disney Legend Award in 2019.