This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

If fans think Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu are cute in "High School Musical," wait until they see the tiny-tot versions of Efron and Bleu in the new "High School Musical 3."

In "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," a dance scene in a Salt Lake City junkyard where Troy (Bolton) and Chad (Bleu) dance their way through tires and over scrapped cars also called for younger versions of the two.

Those plum parts fell on two Utah kids, who between them have six years of dancing experience at Orem's Center Stage Performing Arts Studios.

Ten-year-old Skyler Johnson, a fourth grader at Canyon Crest Elementary in Provo, was cast as the young Troy. Meanwhile, 9-year-old Tu'iNiua Tuita of Spanish Fork, a fourth grader at Rees Elementary, plays the younger Chad.

"It was really exciting," Skyler said about the one-day shoot where the boys briefly dance through the junkyard like their older counterparts. "We got to dance a lot and see all the actors. It was really fun."

In the scene, best friends Troy and Chad reflect on their childhoods, growing up together, and sing about their promise to always be together through college. At one point, they crawl under a junked car and emerge from the other side as their younger selves.

"It wasn't that easy, some parts were difficult," said Tu'iNiua who donned a wig to match Bleu's trademark corkscrew curls. "But we practiced a lot, and it got easier and easier. It was cool."

Most importantly, they got to hang out with Efron and Bleu, whom Tu'iNiua said he always idolized.

"They were fun, and they were really nice too," Skyler remembered. "They always gave us high fives and talked to us a lot. We just talked about dancing."

Both youths want to become professional dancers when they grow up, and already scoring roles in a major motion picture might help.

"I watched my brothers [whom also are dancers], and I always wanted to do it," Tu'iNiua said. "It makes me feel good, and it's really fun."