This is the iconic line from the theme song for “Hannah Montana”, which first premiered on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. Twenty years later, “Hannah Montana: 20th Anniversary Special” premiered on March 24 on Disney Channel. It is available to watch on Disney+ and Hulu.
“Hannah Montana” showcased a girl named Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) balancing her secret life as a pop star while still living her normal life as a high school student in Malibu, California. Alongside her two best friends Lily Truscott played by Emily Osment and Oliver Okren played by Mitchell Musso, Miley attends Seaside High School. The show centered on the chaos of being a teenager and living a dual existence. She navigates trying to live a normal life but also trying to handle being Hannah Montana, and the usually hilarious struggles she faces trying to keep her identity a secret. Miley’s dad, Robby Steward was her manager and helped her start her singing career. At the end of “Hannah Montana”, she finally reveals to her fans that she is Miley Cyrus because she wanted the opportunity to step out of the spotlight and go to college with her best friend Lily.
The series aired four seasons, along with two movies “Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart: Best of Both Worlds Concert” and “Hannah Montana: The Movie”. When Cyrus first auditioned for the show she was 11 years old and ended the Hannah Montana era at 18 years old. Now, 20 years later at the age of 33 years old. Cyrus’ reflection on past decisions that were made during the shooting of “Hannah Montana”, such as the iconic HM closet that seemed to be unreal. The majority of the clothes in the closet were picked by her mother Tish Cyrus and the rest was picked by Disney.
The documentary was filmed on the set of “Hannah Montana”. There were many special guest appearances, such as Selena Gomez who played Mikayla Skeech, a rival popstar. There was also a special appearance from Chappel Roan. Cyrus was also interviewed by Alex Cooper from the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. They discussed how she navigated being a Disney kid and her experience of being a child actor compared to other child star’s experiences. Cyrus also revealed that she dated Dylan Sprouse during the filming of the show. Along with how Taylor Swift got cast to perform in “Hannah Montana: The Movie”. According to Cyrus, the main reason Taylor Swift made it into the movie is because Swift’s music career was just taking off.
She performed her own song ‘Crazier’ during the farm fundraiser in the movie. A fun fact about the movie was that Taylor Swift wrote the finale song that Cyrus performed, “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home”.
She also describes how she ended up auditioning for the role but was hoping she wouldn’t get it because it would interfere with cheerleading. When Cyrus first auditioned for the show, she was turned down because of her age, but was called back because they couldn’t find a lead. So, when Cyrus got the role, the producers were originally hoping for a daughter and father role, so when Cyrus’ dad also auditioned it felt meant to be. A lot of Robby Stewart was similar to Bill Ray Cyrus in real life. Robby had been a famous singer Robby Ray before giving up his career for his family, such as Billy Ray who had a similar real life career. Along with having the same relationship from his daughter, along with ‘ I Want My Mullet Back” by Billy Ray Cyrus is a song that is referenced in the show. She also mentioned how her and Billy Ray Cyrus have had a troubling relationship but she is trying to get along with him.
Cyrus described how her mother advocated for her to be with other people her own age. She also describes how her life changed after finishing “Hannah Montana”. While being 13 years old and in the spotlight can be a challenging thing, having to act like someone you’re not is what really hurt Cyrus after finishing the production of “Hannah Montana”. Cyrus explains how she tried so hard to separate herself from Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart when production was over which caused her to rebel. So, Cyrus started off with a pop rock album and started releasing songs that were more mature. Along with that Cyrus also started her involvement with drugs and alcohol. Cyrus reveals in the documentary her journey with her mental health and sobriety.
During the documentary, not only did Cyrus do a lot of talking, but she also did a lot of singing. She gave a performance of “Best of Both Worlds” which is the first song she ever performed as Hannah Montana, along with a crowd favorite “The Climb” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”. At the end of the documentary, Cyrus sang a new song called “Younger You” as a tribute to Hannah Montana, the character that changed it all.
Overall, if you lived in the era of “Hannah Montana”, this is definitely worth the watch and be prepared to tear up a little. “Hannah Montana” taught us many lessons including no matter how much you change you’ll always find your way back home.
