Get your blond wigs, sequin dresses and cowboy boots ready. The stage lights are on and Miley Cyrus, and her alter ego(s), returned this week with the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.”
To celebrate 20 years since the release of the first episode of the Disney Channel show, Cyrus teamed up with “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper for a documentary special that is a retrospective look at the cultural influence of her show, “Hannah Montana.” It features appearances from “Hannah Montana” guest stars like Selena Gomez and sister Noah, and famous fans like Chappell Roan. At Monday’s premiere event at L.A.’s El Capitan Theatre, Cyrus explained that the special was a chance for her to experience what fans love about Hannah.
“Tonight isn’t about looking back into the past, but it’s about what it means to us, still, tonight,” Cyrus said during her opening remarks. “For me, now that I get to be a part of it that I never could when I was in the middle of everything.”
Ayo Davis, president of branded television at Disney, said that “Hannah Montana” continues to resonate with viewers two decades after her debut because she reminds fans that “you don’t just have to choose one version of yourself.”
Cyrus at the premiere afterparty at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
(Ser Baffo / Disney)
“You can be bold. You can be silly. You can be competent and unsure of all your acts at the same time,” Davis said during her opening remarks. “What’s great is that an entirely new generation is still discovering the magic of Hannah for the very first time. The love, response and feedback that we continue to get on this franchise is truly incredible.”
Cyrus thanked Disney for taking a chance on a girl from Tennessee with little acting experience, saying before she was cast, she was “pretty much a virgin” when it came to performing. Cyrus also shouted out Gary Marsh, the former president of Disney Branded Entertainment, who, in the special, read aloud the email he wrote to the casting team after selecting Cyrus to star in the role.
“We pride ourselves on not just on creating great television, but on creating stars. I am ready to pull the trigger on Miley. Is she a risk? Unquestionably. Is she a potential star? Absolutely,” Marsh said. “I’m thrilled that all of us will be able to sit down over a drink in a few years and remember this moment when we decided to forsake the safe route for the riskier one and the greater reward.”
Marsh’s email was one of many archival pieces pulled for the anniversary special. The team behind it rebuilt Miley Stewart’s living room and rotating closet, with actual outfits from the show that Cyrus had kept in storage. Cyrus and her mother, Tish, even brought out Hannah’s old wigs, joking that “the better the tour got, the better the wig got.”
Cyrus also answers questions by Cooper candidly throughout the special, firing off rapid quips. Yes, the rumors were true — Cyrus dated actor Dylan Sprouse, who starred in “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” during their Disney Channel heyday. When it came to the Miley-Jesse-Jake love triangle on “Hannah Montana,” Cyrus said she would pick Jake. Sixteen years later, she still remembers the choreography to the “Hoedown Throwdown” (watch the special to see it for yourself). And no, Taylor Swift’s cameo in “Hannah Montana: The Movie” wasn’t only because Swift helped write music for the soundtrack.
“This was kind of the beginning of her career, and they were looking for someone that would authentically — no shade, I guess — be performing in a barn,” Cyrus explained.
With a reverence for the old, but excitement for the new, the special includes Cyrus performing Hannah’s most iconic hits like “The Best of Both Worlds,” “This is The Life” and “The Climb,” but also featured a new song, “Younger You.” At the premiere, fans sang along to the classics and sniffled during “Younger You.”
Miley Cyrus, left, with her mother Tish, on the recreated “Hannah Montana” set in the anniversary special.
(Ser Baffo / Disney)
The premiere was also a chance for Disney‘s old guard to mingle with the next generation of stars, where cast members from “Camp Rock 3,” many of whom weren’t born when “Hannah Montana” premiered, sang along to songs from the early Disney hits. And 2000s fashion was back in full force, as partygoers sported capris with layered tank tops. As fans posed with props like the Stewart “leg table” and retro Hannah outfits, the event was a chance to celebrate all things “Hannah Montana.”
Irene Yu, 40, and Kiet Pham, 43, came dressed as Hannah and her best friend Lily (played by Emily Osment). Yu recreated Hannah’s promo outfit, wearing a white jean jacket and pants combo, a sparkly pink top and a blond wig to round out the look. Pham donned a neon pink wig and a vest, channeling Lily’s alter ego, Lola. The pair had been eagerly awaiting the event, choosing to take time off work to make it to the premiere.
“I started watching ‘Hannah Montana’ when I was in graduate school. Graduate school is really hard, and so I binge-watched all three seasons of ‘Hannah Montana’ at that time, and it just got me through some really rough patches during schooling,” Yu explained.
Yu added that the duo had entered the D23 lottery to attend the event, after constantly checking event calendars and social media to see if there was “any type of opportunity to experience 20 years of her legacy.”
For Cyrus, fans like Yu and Pham are the reason this special exists.
“It wasn’t magic, which Disney is known for creating. It was the effort, the loyalty, the support of the fans who made my life possible,” Cyrus said. “For that, I am so grateful to each and every one of you.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com ’
