
Disney's new high-school comedy faces one big stereotype - that the purveyor of squeaky-clean kids' entertainment won't be able to handle any edginess in the storytelling. Disney is after all tackling a night known more for its raunchy bits: sex, drinking, drugs and even mortality. But director Joe Nussbaum says these aren't the only things that matter. He hopes “Prom” will show truth and heart in its coming-of-age stories. "Of course we're not going to show sex and drugs and cursing, which is a part of teenage life, for sure," says Nussbaum. "But there are a lot of other parts to teenage life, too — insecurity, anxiety, disappointment on the negative side, and also falling in love, having crushes, and the excitement of an event like this on the positive side."
Disney's plans to make the film resonate with teens than the younger tween fans who drove the “High School Musical” franchise. Nussbaum's goal is to capture the intensity of emotion on one of the most memorable nights in teen life. "High school elevates all the highs and lows in life," he says. "Everything is a big deal. And prom elevates it all even further from there."
Opening soon across the Philippines, “Prom” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.