“Mix it all together and you know that it’s the best of both worlds” as Hannah Montana belts out. Played by Disney channel star transitioned to pop music icon, Miley Cyrus – Hannah Montana means just as much to her as the dedicated fans of the noughties kids show. Truly banking on nostalgia, this one-hour 20th Anniversary Special documents what Hannah Montana truly means to Miley Cyrus.
Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana launched in 2006 and lasted for four seasons until 2011. A theatrical release saw Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) gross more than $155 million on a budget of $30 million. This year marks a return for many popular noughties shows, including Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair and season ten of comedy medical drama, Scrubs.
This Special is hosted by Hannah Montana superfan and ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcaster, Alex Cooper. Miley talks through her experience growing up on the show. Although, auditioning for the role without any acting experience shows it was clear superstardom was set for the Tennessee-born artist. But as we see with so many child stars, what they do next can make or break them. The best aspect of this Special is how Miley appreciates the show. She gifts so much credit to how Disney’s Hannah Montana has made her the star she is today. We review this Hannahversary!
Hannahversary: Fashion, Fashion, & More Fashion
Taking us into the behind-the-scenes of Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart’s double life, we get a glimpse into the iconic fashion looks from the four-season show. It’s inevitable that viewers become insatiably envious of Hannah’s elaborately brilliant rotating closet. She had all the options of sparkles and colours that any teen would want. Hannah Montana was all about the glitz and glamour. From the wig changes each season to the iconic contrast between Hannah’s sparkle dress in her brilliant onstage performance to Miley’s western outfit in the Hoedown Throwdown music number – both seen in Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009).
Although this Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special seemed a little rushed. It runs quickly through Miley’s experiences from the audition process to growing up as Hannah on the show. But this Anniversary Special could have been so much more elaborate. There’s nothing deeper than surface-level information. Interspersed through interview segments are music numbers where Miley sings songs from the Hannah Montana soundtrack in front of a live crowd. Audience members are understandably mainly millennials and Generation Z for a show that defined generations of childhoods.
Miley Cyrus Performs As Hannah Montana
Pretty Noughties Nostalgia
I remember the ‘pretty nostalgia’ of watching the show every Saturday morning on Shake! (a children’s programme on Channel Five in the UK). Some scenes come back to you throughout this Special. But there was not nearly as much focus on the best scenes, outtakes, or iconic set stories that there should have been in an Anniversary Special.
Famous faces join Miley on her journey exploring the Hannah Montana seasons throughout the years. Fellow Disney Channel star, Selena Gomez who gained fame playing Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012) joins Miley on the sofa. But family is at the heart of this Special. Much like her family’s involvement in the original show, Miley’s parents – Tish and Billy Rae, as well as, her younger sister, Noah join her in separate chats to share their favourite moments and memories across the twenty years.
From Noah having played several guest roles throughout the show’s run to how Tish kept scrapbooks of memories – there’s even a name drop of Miley’s godmother, the one and only Dolly Parton too. When this Special was first announced it seemed as if Disney had written a one-off episode on Hannah Montana. In hindsight this instead could have made a much better return for the iconic character.
The Powerful Lasting Legacy of Hannah Montana
But this Special proves the powerful lasting legacy of Hannah Montana. Boasting 6.3 million viewers in its first three days of airing, the popularity of this noughties icon is perhaps something Disney needs to keep a close eye on. With High School Musical (2006) also turning twenty this year, we ask if both franchises will receive more content to bank on the sweet nostalgia of their dedicated fanbases?
There’s so much legacy Miley Cyrus and the rest of the cast and crew that made Hannah Montana leave behind. Disney could have had a ‘go big or go home’ approach here. For a twenty-year anniversary, it leaves different feelings from teary to nostalgic to being a bit dull too. It needed more creativity, imagination, and spark to really bring this anniversary to life. Although they had the viewership, we hope this is not the last we see of Hannah Montana because she deserves a better ending.
Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special is available to stream now on Disney+ and Hulu. You can read more reviews like Netflix’s BTS: The Comeback Live here.
Rating: 3 Stars