BACKGROUND
For years, Disney has been known for creating series and movies that capture the imagination of kids, tweens, and teens, with some of these eventually being forgotten as time passes by, whereas others become iconic and fondly remembered even decades later. Hannah Montana (2006-11) is just one of these that has remained in pop culture.
There was just something about 2006 for the Disney Channel. They had a huge hit on their hands at the start of the year when High School Musical premiered on the channel, becoming a major franchise from the outset, so imagine the executives surprise when they got another big success, this time from a television series, a couple of months later, with the first episode of Hannah Montana airing in March 2006.
This series, starring Miley Cyrus, about a teenage girl being a regular kid whilst juggling her secret double life of being teen pop star Hannah Montana had driven a large demographic of kids, not just in North America, but across the world, to become obsessed with the show, its music, its characters, and its actors. This was “Hannah Mania”, and the fans would only become more involved as the years when on, with the CDs, concerts, and new seasons that followed. So, what did it need now? Its own movie, of course.
Following in the footsteps of The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), in 2009, Hannah Montana: The Movie became only the second theatrically-released movie based on a Disney Channel series, and was also the second theatrically-released movie for the Hannah Montana franchise after its Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, and the third theatrically-released Disney Channel film after High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008). This was big business.
I watched the series Hannah Montana when it first premiered, and used to watch it every morning before school along with The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-08) for a couple of years. My mum even had a friend come and stay with us once who was “forced” to watch Hannah Montana too one morning, but luckily, she didn’t mind as she was a fan of Billy Ray Cyrus, who played the main character’s father, and is Miley Cyrus’ father.
Eventually, my interests wandered from Hannah Montana sometime around Season 3 I, so although I had been an avid watcher for a little while, I had moved on to other shows like Sonny with a Chance (2009-11), meaning I missed out on most of the last season, and missed out on Hannah Montana: The Movie. I didn’t think much of the film at first, but gradually came to quite like it, as the film got going and I got used to the new setting.
PLOT
Hannah Montana: The Movie begins, naturally, with a Hannah Montana concert. As legions of fans descend on the venue, all should be calm backstage. Robby Ray Stewart, father of Miley Stewart, who happens to be living a double life by being Hannah Montana, sits beside Hannah’s wig, but he keeps looking at the time. And that is because Miley is not here!
Miley and her best friend and confidante Lilly Truscott are actually outside, in amongst the crowds of fans trying to get inside. They push towards the ticket agent, saying they are “on the list”. The worker ignores them, and they find themselves at a loss as to what to do next. Then, they clock an unattended golf cart, used by security. They commandeer the golf cart and drive through the backstage areas, being chased down by the security guards. Eventually, they make it to Hannah’s dressing room, and Robby Ray lets them inside, calming down security by saying the girls have authorisation to be there, without giving much away. He tells Miley to get ready, and she transforms into Hannah Montana. She is quickly led under the stage, ready to make her grand entrance. Just before she goes on, Miley’s father tells her it is her night to do the dishes. Miley goes to complain before her father reminds her she wanted “the best of both worlds”. Miley can’t argue with that. She appears on stage as Hannah Montana to perform her hit song “The Best of Both Worlds”.
We then see Hannah Montana filming a music video on the beach for this song. After the video is finished, Hannah goes to her tent and sees a man in there. The man tells Hannah that his daughters are huge fans of his, but soon enough, Hannah’s publicist, Vita, comes in and recognises this man as a tabloid reporter called Oswald. Vita kicks Oswald out of the tent, not realising that he left a camera in the tent to record, knowing that Hannah is hiding a huge secret and wanting to uncover it for his editor, Lucinda. The camera is covered by Vita sitting down on the sofa though, and luckily, does not record Hannah removing her wig and transforming back into Miley. Her secret remains safe – for now.
The next day, Miley is back at school, and to show the contrasting lifestyles between Hannah and Miley, Miley has to go to gym class and gets hit in the face with a volleyball. However, Vita arrives, taking her out of school, because Hannah needs to go shopping as she has been invited to attend an awards show in New York. Lilly runs out of class to remind Miley about her sixteenth birthday party later; she isn’t sure Miley has heard her.
Out shopping, Miley has transformed back into Hannah Montana and is getting the VIP treatment at various stores, Vita by her side. However, she has lost track of the time, and realises that she is late to both Lilly’s party and to saying goodbye to her brother Jackson before he heads off to college in Tennessee. To make everything worse, Hannah finds herself fighting with none other than model Tyra Banks over a pair of shoes! This was filmed by the paparazzi, so Hannah will definitely be a front-page news story tomorrow.
Hannah and Vita get into their car, with Hannah about to change back into Miley, but she sees Oswald, that reporter, is following them. Knowing she cannot change now, but still needs to show her face at Lilly’s party, Hannah arrives at Lilly’s party, taking all the attention away from Lilly, and making everyone focus on Hannah Montana. Lilly is angry with Miley for doing this to her, and she doesn’t feel any happier when Hannah is convinced to get up on stage and sing for everyone. Lilly leaves her own party, but not before telling Oswald that Hannah is from a small town in Tennessee called Crowley Corners, giving him a good place to look for information about her. Lilly and Miley’s friends Oliver and Rico attempt to keep Lilly interested in the party, by revealing her birthday cake – but it blows up…
The next day, Miley’s father sees the news story about Hannah’s fight with Tyra Banks and is so angry with Miley for letting this happen. Robby Ray tells his daughter that she has been too focused on her celebrity lifestyle and needs to come back to Earth right now, and the best way to do that is for Hannah not to attend the awards show in New York. Besides, they’re supposed to be in Tennessee for Miley’s grandma’s birthday anyway. Vita tries to smooth this over by saying Miley can always come a bit later, after the awards show, and they’ll simply book a private jet. Robby Ray seems happy enough with this.
On the private jet, Miley changes into her Hannah persona ready to land in New York, however, once they land, she realises her and her father have landed in Tennessee instead. There’s no limo, no crowds of fans, just Jackson, picking them up in his truck. In the truck on the ride to Miley’s grandmother’s house, Robby Ray reiterates that Miley needs to reconnect with her roots, and thinks spending time in her hometown will be good for her. Miley says she wants to go home, with her father reminding her this is home, and a two-week break from Hannah Montana will do all of them some good. It’ll be like a “Hannah detox”. Miley is still angry though and tells Jackson to pull over. Still dressed as Hannah Montana, Miley gets out of the truck and sits by the side of the road, refusing to go anywhere until she is told she can go to New York. Right behind her though is a horse, who tries to eat her “Hannah” wig. She shouts at the horse, surprising Robby Ray, who reveals that horse is Miley’s horse, Blue Jeans. Miley is told to walk to her grandma’s house when she’s ready.
After some time, Miley decides to take off her Hannah Montana costume and tries to ride her horse. Except she hasn’t ridden a horse in a while, and Blue Jeans doesn’t seem to remember her, so Miley falls off and Blue Jeans runs away. A teenage boy gallops past her on his horse and manages to retrieve Blue Jeans. He tells Miley that Blue Jeans just doesn’t like strangers. Miley says she knows because it’s her horse. This makes the boy realise she is Miley Stewart. Miley realises this boy is Travis Brody and they grew up together. Travis offers to give Miley a ride to her grandmother’s house. On the way, they talk about Miley’s amazing life in Los Angeles, and she reveals she is best friends with Hannah Montana. Travis says he’s been working for Miley’s grandmother over the summer. They soon arrive at her grandmother’s house, where Travis leaves her to see her family.
Inside the house, Miley sees it is packed with her relatives who she hasn’t seen in a while. They are all performing music together, but Miley doesn’t want to be a part of it right now. Miley is reunited with her grandmother, Ruby, who thanks Miley for the Elvis plate she got her, adding it to her collection. Miley realises that her father bought that, and pretended it was from her, making her feel a bit guilty. Robby Ray is told to introduce himself to a local woman called Lorelai. He tries to talk to her, but through some awkward trips and falls, he inadvertently breaks all of Ruby’s celebrity face plates… That evening, Ruby talks to Miley about her mother, with Miley saying she really misses her still.
The next morning, knowing her father will stop her being Hannah Montana if she doesn’t throw herself into her hometown life, Miley decides to go completely over-the-top and pretends to be excited and happy to do everything. First, she attempts to feed the chickens and collect their eggs, but it takes her ages just to get one! She is then told to come to the farmer’s market with Ruby, whilst Robby Ray goes to fix Ruby’s truck. When he goes to inspect the truck, he sees Lorelai already working on it, and he is impressed. Meanwhile, Jackson is working at their cousin Derrick’s petting zoo, being pecked by ostriches and attacked by alligators!
At the farmer’s market, Ruby tells Miley that there is a developer around here, trying to turn part of Crowley Corners into a new mall. That is why the town are holding fundraising events to make enough money to pay the taxes on the land to stop the development. Miley doesn’t seem so against a mall being built here though, further showing her disconnect from her hometown. Ruby offers to take Miley shopping after they’re done with her stall at the market, and Miley refuses the offer. Ruby takes Miley aside and basically tells her to get over herself. Miley takes her grandmother’s advice on board. Ruby decides to approach the developer, Mr. Bradley, whilst Miley covers the stall. She then sees Oswald here, and he is sniffing out information on Hannah Montana. To distract him, she swaps the salsa dips he is trying so Oswald eats the spiciest one. She then tips walnuts towards him, causing Oswald to trip and fall onto the developer’s mall model. Miley and Ruby help the reporter up, and they say they know Hannah Montana, sending him five miles south to look for her.
Later, Miley is singing in the barn, trying to write a new song, when Travis comes in. She asks for his opinion on the song, but is annoyed to find Travis doesn’t like it, because it isn’t saying anything. The two then spend the day together, swimming, organising a music event in the town hall, and fixing up a chicken coop.
That evening, they hold their fundraiser with music and dancing. Robby Ray performs a song, as does Miley, leading everyone in the “Hoedown Throwdown”, and even a certain big-name country-turned-pop singer who is made out to be a local and given no introduction! Miley gets to dance with Travis that night too, and she encourages her father to spend time with Lorelai. Just as the good vibes are settling in, all of a sudden, Mr. Bradley, the developer, shows up and reminds everyone here that they will never raise all the money needed to stop his development plans in the area. Oswald is also here to listen in. Suddenly, Travis pipes up and says Miley knows Hannah Montana. This gives the town an idea: they can bring Hannah Montana here to put on a concert! There’s just a couple of problems with that plan…but Miley can’t say anything.
The next day, to everyone’s surprise, including Miley’s father, Hannah Montana arrives to Crowley Corners with Vita. Oswald watches as the car pulls up outside Miley’s grandmother’s house and snaps some quick photos. Inside, it is revealed that Lilly dressed up as Hannah Montana, so Miley could greet her and not create any suspicion. Lilly apologises for leading Oswald here, something Miley was unaware of. There’s no time to deal with that though as Lorelai wants to talk to Hannah and Miley. Lilly, still dressed as Hannah, is told to put a towel over her face and not speak. Lorelai is allowed into the room. Miley explains this is how Hannah has to destress after long journeys. Miley wants to be in the room to stop Lilly from talking, but she has to speak with her father, leaving Lorelai and Lilly alone. Lorelai asks “Hannah” if she’ll attend the mayor’s dinner, as they are putting on a party to celebrate Hannah’s arrival. Lilly accidentally agrees to this. Robby Ray comes in and tries to explain the situation to Lorelai, but before he can, he hears that Hannah is going to the dinner. Lorelai then asks Robby Ray to go to the dinner with her, as her date. Miley and Jackson watch from the window outside and are encouraged to see their father getting on well with Lorelai. Jackson, who was watching from the ladder, is pushed off and falls after Lorelai opens the window into him, falling into the squash patch behind.
Later, Miley catches Lilly up on what’s been happening with Travis, and she dresses up as Hannah to “meet” him, when really, she just wants information on his feelings for her. He reveals that he actually really likes Miley and is encouraged by “Hannah” to ask her out on a date. He says he will. Miley then rushes to the coop and pretends to have been painting it all along. Travis asks Miley out to dinner. She coolly accepts, not letting on how happy she is. On returning home, Miley learns that she has been double-booked for that night, as Hannah is expected at the mayor’s dinner, and Miley is expected at her date with Travis. This will be a tricky one to pull off…
Miley chooses to attend the dinner as Hannah, but continuously makes excuses throughout the evening to change back into Miley and go to her date with Travis. In the end, this only creates chaos and means she is only half-interested in whichever event she is at. Robby Ray, Lilly, and Jackson search for her at intervals throughout the night, with Robby Ray eventually telling Hannah to sit down at the dinner and not go anywhere else. But luckily for Miley, Cousin Derrick’s rogue ferret wreaks havoc during dessert and she is able to leave the dinner. But she is exhausted by this point, and takes her wig off in the doorway of the mayor’s residence, only to be seen by a little girl. She then is seen by Travis, who has realised that Miley must be Hannah Montana. Thinking she did this to play a trick on him, and hating how she withheld the truth from him, he breaks up with her and leaves. Miley comes back to the dinner and tries to speak to her dad about what just happened, but he is interrupted by Lorelai who is complaining about how Hannah ruined the dinner she took so much time to organise. Robby Ray tries to cover up for Hannah/Miley, but knows he can’t be truly honest with Lorelai so he tells Lorelai he doesn’t have time for a relationship right now.
Later, Miley spends some time alone, working on another song. Her father joins her and she asks if he’s mad at her. He says he’s not, but that he’d like to hear her song. The two sing the end of her song together.
The next morning, Lilly sees Miley asleep on top of the coop, having spent all night painting it for Travis. Lilly wakes her and says it’s time for Hannah’s concert. A huge fair is put on to celebrate, and many people have come for it, with huge donations coming in. Grandma Ruby goes backstage to speak with Miley before her concert, giving Miley her mother’s necklace to give her some strength and support that day. Meanwhile, Travis has gone by the coop and seen that Miley must’ve finished painting it. He goes to the concert to give her another chance.
At the concert, Hannah Montana begins her concert, but she sees Travis and stops the performance, saying she’s home and with her family and can’t lie anymore. She takes off her wig, revealing Hannah Montana is actually just Miley Stewart to the entire crowd. She asks for a second chance, singing a song she wrote herself about her time here, performing as Miley. This song was inspired by Travis and the phrase he told her: “Life’s a climb, but the view is great”. The crowd love her performance but they want Miley to still be Hannah Montana. The crowd promise to keep her secret so this can still happen.
However, Oswald has finally discovered Hannah’s secret and takes a photo of her for his tabloid. Suddenly, he sees his daughters here who are overwhelmed at being able to see Hannah Montana perform. Vita revealed she gave them free tickets. Her and Oswald watch as the daughters discover Hannah Montana hiding on a roof and are so excited to see her. Vita tells Oswald not to destroy their dreams by revealing the truth about her. Oswald calls his editor and says the story is over, quitting his job.
Hannah then goes back on stage, but not before Travis says he still hasn’t got over his crush on Miley and the two kiss. On stage, Hannah performs one final song for the crowd, celebrating being back home. With all the secrets out in the open, Robby Ray and Lorelai rekindle their relationship and kiss too. It’s also shown that Crowley Corners has successfully raised all the money they needed to save their town.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Miley Stewart is just an ordinary girl, who moved from Tennessee to L.A. years ago to achieve her dream of becoming a pop star. But, to stop the intense scrutiny and invasion of privacy that comes with being a celebrity, Miley and her family came up with a novel idea: to have Miley set up a singing persona, that being Hannah Montana, so she can have “the best of both worlds”. Although Miley has always found struggles with trying to be two different people, in Hannah Montana: The Movie, Miley has started to become too involved in the celebrity lifestyle of Hannah Montana and starts to forget about where she came from. This leads her father to trick her into going back to Tennessee for her grandmother’s birthday, threatening to stop Miley from being Hannah Montana forever if she continues to act like an entitled, spoilt brat. Eventually, Miley starts to appreciate her country lifestyle after some time, yet, Hannah Montana comes back to haunt her, as Miley knows Hannah will bring in enough people to raise the necessary money to stop development in the town, whilst also knowing how complicated it will get. Sure enough, her double-life causes problems, including ruining her chances with her childhood crush, Travis. Luckily, Miley makes amends by revealing herself to be Hannah Montana to everyone. This could be a problem for her, but the crowd promise to keep her identity a secret, so she can continue to live both lives.
Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana were played by Miley Cyrus, who played the character throughout the run of the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, from 2006 to 2011. She also voiced Penny in Disney Animation’s Bolt (2008) around this time, later starring in the movies LOL (2012) and So Undercover (2012). Cyrus is now a very successful recording artists, with some of her most popular singles being “Can’t Be Tamed”, “Party in the U.S.A”, “Wrecking Ball”, and “Flowers”. “Flowers” won the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, amongst many other awards. Cyrus won another Grammy for the song “II Most Wanted” with Beyoncé for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. She also released her own musical film called Something Beautiful in 2025, to go along with her album of the same name. Cyrus has been nominated for songs that appear in movie soundtracks too, like two Golden Globe nominations for “Beautiful That Way” from The Last Showgirl (2024) and “Dream As One” from Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). Cyrus became a Disney Legend for her work with the company in August 2024.
Robby Ray Stewart is Miley Stewart’s father. Although he wants his daughter to have her dream of performing as Hannah Montana, he is aware that her attitude and behaviour is changing the more opportunities Hannah Montana gets, becoming more fame-obsessed and diva-like, even stooping so slow as to fight with Tyra Banks over a pair of shoes. He sees himself as having no choice but to stop Miley performing as Hannah in New York and instead takes her to Tennessee for her grandmother’s birthday, wanting Miley to remember her life before she went to L.A. and became famous. Whilst monitoring his daughter’s behaviour and antics, Robby Ray is also developing feelings for a local woman called Lorelai, going on dates with her and generally enjoying her company, which is encouraged by his children. However, soon enough the “Hannah secret” starts to turn things complicated with Lorelai, and to protect Miley, he chooses to break things off with her. But by the end of the film, with Lorelai learning Miley was in fact Hannah Montana and knowing how difficult it must’ve been to keep that a secret, she reconciles with Robby Ray.
Billy Ray Cyrus was cast as Robby Ray Stewart. Billy Ray Cyrus got his start as a singer, before taking on acting roles as well. One of these was starring as Dr. Clint Cassidy in the medical drama Doc (2001-04). He later was cast as Vernon Brownmule in the sitcom Still the King (2016-17). In reality shows, Cyrus appeared on Season 4 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (2005-present) in 2007, and was revealed to be Owl in Season 14 of The Masked Singer (2019-present) in 2026. In music, Cyrus’ most popular song was “Achy Breaky Heart”, also covering the song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”. Other top singles of his include “Could’ve Been Me”; “In the Heart of a Woman”; and the song “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”, which he performed with his daughter, Miley.
Jackson is Robby Ray’s son and Miley’s brother. Jackson has never been the smartest one in the family, but he has always been down-to-earth. In Hannah Montana: The Movie, Jackson has started college in Tennessee, and is working with their strange Cousin Derrick, who carries around a ferret, at his petting zoo, which doesn’t exactly look “up to code” if you ask me! Jackson has a near-miss with an alligator, a pesky encounter with an ostrich, and an almost-incident with a ladder during the course of the film, but really, Jackson is sadly just there, and is not overly relevant to the events of the film, which is a shame because Jackson and his crazy schemes were always fun to watch in the series.
Jason Earles was cast as Jackson Stewart. Prior to his casting in Hannah Montana, Earles had played Thomas Gates in the Disney live-action film National Treasure (2004) and had a recurring role as Grady Spaggett in the Disney Channel series Phil of the Future (2004-06). After Hannah Montana, Earles was cast as Rudy in the Disney XD series Kickin’ It (2011-15). More recently, he played Dewey Wood in Season 3 of the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019-23). Earles was actually 29-years-old when Hannah Montana first began, despite being cast as a 16-year-old. He was almost 32 by the time Hannah Montana: The Movie came out. Jared Carter played Cousin Derrick.
Grandma Ruby is Jackson and Miley’s grandmother, and Robby Ray’s mother-in-law. Ruby is very wise and has a lot to say to Miley, firstly, telling Miley to get a grip and enjoy her time being back home with family who love her, instead of sulking about not going to an awards show, and secondly, talking to Miley about her mother, and how much she wishes her mother was still with them too. Miley and Ruby have a close bond, and it’s clear to see how much they love each other.
Grandma Ruby was played by Margo Martindale. Martindale later was cast as Mattie Fae Aiken in the movie August: Osage County (2013), going on to play Grandma Sandy Wagner in Instant Family (2018) and Ranger Liz in Cocaine Bear (2023), alongside appearing in television series, such as The Millers (2013-15), where Martindale played Carol Miller; The Americans (2013-18), in the recurring role of Claudia; and as Lucianne Goldberg in the third season of the true crime anthology series Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021). She also voiced the character Louise “Barnstormer” Nash in Pixar’s Cars 3 (2017) and recently voiced Mrs. Twit in Netflix’s The Twits (2025).
Lilly Truscott is Miley’s best friend and one of few people who knows that she is Hannah Montana. When with Hannah, Lilly would normally have her own persona, of Lola, but she doesn’t make an appearance in Hannah Montana: The Movie. In the film, Lilly is angry with Miley for not attending her birthday party as herself and then reveals “Hannah’s” hometown to a reporter out of anger. She is later called upon by Miley to help get Hannah Montana to Crowley Corners, as Miley can’t just leave and come back as Hannah; that would look suspicious. At this point, Lilly apologises for tipping off the reporter and is committed to helping Miley keep her secret any way she can, like by helping her change between the mayor’s dinner and her date. Lilly might feel taken for granted by Miley at times, but the two’s friendship is strong and can withstand a lot.
Emily Osment was cast as Lilly Truscott. Osment was no stranger to acting even before appearing in Hannah Montana, as she had played Gerti Giggles in Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002) and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) before that. After Hannah Montana, Osment had much success in television, including voicing the recurring role of Ruth Cochamer in Family Guy (1999-present) and starring as Gabi Diamond in the Freeform series Young & Hungry (2014-18). More recently, she was cast as Mandy McAllister in The Big Bang Theory spin-off series Young Sheldon (2017-24), currently reprising the role for its own spin-off Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (2024-present).
Travis Brody is a childhood friend of Miley’s, and they both had a childhood crush on each other. When Miley returns to Crowley Corners, Travis is the first person she meets, and he is shocked to see how much she’s changed since moving to L.A. He seems unimpressed with her “L.A. lifestyle” and is instrumental in helping Miley reconnect with her roots whilst she’s back home, for example, by getting her to focus on rebuilding the chicken coop with him. Their feelings for each other grow as the film goes on, and using Hannah as a disguise, Miley learns that Travis does like her and encourages him to ask her out. He does and he is excited for their date, but Miley barely spends any time with him that evening, leading him to investigate. He sees Miley with the Hannah Montana wig and realises she has been Hannah all along, making him feel stupid and like this was all a joke. He eventually forgives Miley after seeing she repainted the coop for him and goes to the concert. They reconnect just before Miley returns to the stage as Hannah, revealing their true feelings for each other.
Travis Brody was played by Lucas Till. Prior to his role here, Till had played Young Jack Cash in the biopic Walk the Line (2005). He was later cast as Alex Summers / Havok in the X-Men franchise from the 2011 film X-Men: First Class. He also starred as Angus “Mac” MacGyver in the rebooted series MacGyver (2016-21) on CBS. Recently, he played Garret Van Ness in the drama series The Abandons (2025) for Netflix.
Lorelai is Robby Ray’s love interest during the film and a friend of Grandma Ruby, who essentially sets the two of them up, pushing Robby Ray to introduce himself to Lorelai. Throughout the time spent getting through Ruby’s list of chores and jobs that need doing around the farm, and at the concert in the barn, Lorelai and Robby Ray become closer. She then asks Robby Ray to come to the mayor’s dinner with her, thinking that would be a good moment for them to spend time together. The dinner turns out to be a disaster, no thanks to Miley/Hannah, and Lorelai tries to vent her frustrations about Hannah to Robby Ray, not realising the awkward position that puts him in. She seems annoyed when Robby Ray decides he doesn’t have time for a relationship. Later, she learns during the concert that Hannah was Miley all along, and realises the difficult situation this put everyone in. Her and Robby Ray are then able to get back together by the end of the film.
Melora Hardin was cast as Lorelai. Around the time of Hannah Montana: The Movie, Hardin had appeared as Maureen in 27 Dresses (2008), and as Principal Jane Masterson in 17 Again (2009), which starred Zac Efron. She had also been cast in the recurring role of Trudy Monk in the series Monk (2002-09), reprising her role for the movie Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie in 2023. Hardin is also known for her role as Jan Levinson in the sitcom The Office (2005-13) and for playing Jacqueline Carlyle in The Bold Type (2017-21).
Vita is Hannah Montana’s publicist, and she is also in on the secret, helping Miley to keep her identity as Hannah Montana secret, like by kicking reporters out of backstage areas. She also seems to want to make Hannah Montana even more of a star than she is, by getting her additional appearances. Although Vita is clearly a highly competent publicist, one any young star would dream of, she does appear to be the one causing Miley to become a bit self-absorbed. For example, I don’t think it was necessary to take Miley out of school to go shopping as Hannah, and she shouldn’t have booked the awards show if it clashed with Miley’s grandmother’s birthday, or at least been more on Robby Ray’s side and tried to cancel the appearance, not offer the use of a private jet instead. Still, Vita comes through at the end of the film by getting Oswald to shut down his story and keeps the secret hidden.
Vanessa Williams was cast as Vita. Williams is well-known for her character Wilhemina Slater in the comedy-drama series Ugly Betty (2006-10), going on to be cast as Renee Perry in the last two seasons of Desperate Housewives (2004-12). She also starred as Maxine Robinson in Daytime Divas (2017) and was a judge on the drag queen singing competition Queen of the Universe (2021-23). Recently, Williams played Miranda Priestly in the West End musical stage adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada from 2024 to 2025.
Oswald is the tabloid reporter who is determined to figure out Hannah Montana’s secret and will go to great lengths to get his story, by hiding secret cameras and spending weeks in a random town in Tennessee just to keep his editor, Lucinda, happy – and keep him in a job. Oswald doesn’t seem to enjoy doing this kind of work, and later accepts that destroying a teenager’s life by revealing Miley Stewart is actually Hannah Montana is no way to earn a living. His daughters help him come to that realisation, as he sees how excited they are to meet Hannah Montana, knowing Hannah will cease to exist if he writes this story.
Oswald was played by Peter Gunn. Gunn is a British actor, best known for his roles as Constable Len Cosgrove in the BBC medical drama series Born and Bred (2002-05) and as Brian Packham in the long-running British soap Coronation Street (1960-present) since 2010. Oswald’s daughters were played by Rachel Woods and Natalia Dyer. Dyer has since become well-known for her role as Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things (2016-15).
Mr. Bradley is the shady developer who is determined to build apartments and a new mall in Crowley Corners, regardless of what the citizens of the town think. It’s good for business so it is good for him. He even attends the farmer’s market to try to convince the locals of his plans, and goes to their barn concert to remind them all that their little fundraisers will never raise enough money to stop him. In the end, Crowley Corners gets the last laugh as their Hannah Montana concert does raise enough money to pay the taxes. Mr. Bradley will just have to go elsewhere to build his mall then!
Barry Bostwick was cast as Mr. Bradley. Before Hannah Montana: The Movie, Bostwick was known for his roles as Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and as Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City (1996-2002). Later roles of his include the recurring role of Roger Frank in the sitcom Cougar Town (2009-15), and playing Big Poppa in another Disney Channel movie: Teen Beach Movie (2013).
Finally, there are a few cameo appearances in Hannah Montana: The Movie. One is Tyra Banks, who appears as a fictionalised version of herself to fight Hannah Montana for a pair of fancy shoes in a designer store! Banks is known for creating and presenting the reality series America’s Next Top Model (2003-18), along with her work as a model.
We also see Oliver Oken, Miley and Lilly’s other best friend, and Rico Suave, another key cast member in the series. In the film, they are reduced to just a few minutes of screen time, as they attend Lilly’s birthday party and blow up her birthday cake. Oliver was played by Mitchell Musso, who had various Disney Channel roles before and after Hannah Montana, including playing Raymond Figg in the DCOM Life Is Ruff (2005) and being cast as King Brady in the first two seasons of Pair of Kings (2010-13) on DisneyXD. Rico was played by Moises Arias, who went on to be cast as André in the DCOM Dadnapped (2009) before having a recurring role as Matt in Season 3 of the ABC sitcom The Middle (2009-18). Arias currently plays Norm MacLean in the Prime series Fallout (2024-present).
Susan Stewart, Miley’s mother, is seen in a photograph in this film, after the character made a few appearances in the series. Susan was played by Brooke Shields. Shields is known for her both modelling and acting roles, like playing Emmeline in The Blue Lagoon (1980) as a child star; later starring as Susan Keane in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996-2000); her recurring role as Rita Glossner in the ABC sitcom The Middle; and her more recent castings in Netflix films, like Lana in Mother of the Bride (2024), and Sophie Brown in A Castle for Christmas (2021).
MUSIC
Hannah Montana: The Movie contains a mixture of new, original songs, as well as others that fans of the series will already have heard from the show. There are a few surprise artists involved with this soundtrack. Some of the music heard in Hannah Montana: The Movie is performed by the characters, with others being background music for certain scenes.
In movie order, the first song heard is “The Best of Both Worlds: The 2009 Movie Mix”, which is the title song for the Hannah Montana series. It is performed during the opening sequence of the film, from the concert performance into the music video being filmed on the beach. To be honest, I don’t actually like this song much at all, probably because you had to hear it every time you watched an episode! The song was written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil, and was performed by Hannah Montana.
Next, we hear “The Good Life”, playing during Hannah Montana’s shoe store fight with Tyra Banks, which seems to have been written specifically for the film. It was written by Matthew Gerrard and Bridget Benenate and was performed by Hannah Montana.
At Lilly’s birthday party, the song playing as Lilly desperately calls Miley to make sure she makes it to the party seems to be “Game Over”, written by Steve Rushton, Antony Westgate and Nigel Clark, being performed by Rushton. Rushton performed the theme song for the Disney Channel series The Suite Life on Deck (2008-11) just before this film and was signed to Disney’s label Hollywood Records around this time. Rushton seems to be on stage during this as part of the band hired for the party, and also plays the song “Everything I Want”, which was also written and performed by Rushton. Hannah Montana then arrives at the party and performs her song “Let’s Get Crazy” with the band. This song was written by Colleen Fitzpatrick, Michael “Smidl” Smith, Stefanie Ridel, Mim Nervo and Liv Nervo. This song was used as part of Season 3 of Hannah Montana.
Back home on the farm, Miley walks into her family all singing together. This song was “Backwards”, written by Marcel Chagnon and Tony Mullins, and was performed by Rascal Flatts. Rascal Flatts is a country music group founded in 1999. They first released their song “Backwards” in 2006. Disney fans might also known Rascal Flatts from performing “Life is a Highway” for Pixar’s film Cars (2006). The band then play a song together on the porch with Miley’s family. This song is “Bless the Broken Road”. It was written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna. Rascal Flatts re-recorded the song for the film. Their version of “Bless the Broken Road”, released in 2005, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Music chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song.
On Miley’s first day on the farm, when she’s trying to deal with her grandmother’s chickens, the song “Don’t Walk Away” is playing. It was written by Miley Cyrus, John Shanks, and Hillary Lindsey, and was performed by Miley Cyrus. This is shortly followed by another of Cyrus’ songs “Dream”, which is playing as she spends time with Travis. “Dream” was written by John Shanks and Kara Dioguardi.
Then we get to the barn concert fundraiser, where three songs are performed in quick succession. The first of these is “Back to Tennessee”, which Robby Ray is performing, meaning it was sung by Billy Ray Cyrus. It was written by Cyrus, Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder, and was actually released as a single from Cyrus’ studio album of the same name prior to the film being released, in February 2009.
This is then followed by the song “Crazier”, which was written by none other than Taylor Swift and Robert Ellis Orall, with Swift performing the song in the movie, during the moment where Miley dances with Travis, and her dad is with Lorelai. “Crazier” was first released for this film, peaking at No. 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Swift apparently was chosen for this cameo appearance in Hannah Montana: The Movie as they wanted an authentic country singer to be singing in this local concert, and Swift’s earlier music was heavily rooted in country music, and not the more pop-centric tunes she releases now. Taylor Swift is one of the most successful artists of all time, with her music spanning multiple albums. Some of her hits through the decades include “Love Story”, “Fearless”, “You Belong with Me”, “Mean”, “Blank Space”, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, “Shake It Off”, “Look What You Made Me Do”, “Anti-Hero”, “Cruel Summer”, and “The Fate of Ophelia”.
Following on from Taylor Swift is a performance by Miley, where she takes the attendees through the dance for her song “Hoedown Throwdown”. I am pleased to say that I can still remember the dance after learning it on Disney Channel; this song was always being played in those little breaks between their programming. It was written by Adam Anders and Nikki Hassman. “Hoedown Throwdown” is also used as the first song in the End Credits, accompanied by videos of the cast and crew doing the dance. Jamal Sims did the choreography for this song. Sims then directed and choreographed Miley Cyrus’ Wonder World Tour in 2009. He had previously worked on Step Up (2006) and Hairspray (2007).
Some time later, Miley has a heart-to-heart with her dad after the dinner fiasco with the mayor and Lorelai. She says she has written a song about their father-daughter relationship and he asks to hear it, before joining in. This song is “Butterfly Fly Away”, and was written by Glen Ballard. It was performed by Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus. Although not my favourite song, I can appreciate this sentimental moment in the film.
Soon after, it is time for Hannah Montana’s concert and again, three songs are performed. The first is “Rockstar”, first heard in Season 2 of Hannah Montana, which Hannah actually stops singing mid-way through after she makes the decision to reveal her true identity. “Rockstar” was written by Aristedis Archontis, Jeannie Lurie, and Chen Neeman. This song is followed by “The Climb”, performed by Miley, with Miley having written this song throughout the course of the film, after being inspired by Travis. This song became incredibly popular outside of the film, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and performing well outside of North America, including hitting No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart, No. 5 in Australia, and No. 5 in Norway. It was even covered by Joe McElderry, the 2009 winner of The X Factor (2004-18) as his “winner’s song”. “The Climb” was written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, and was performed by Miley Cyrus.
After that, the big finale song in Hannah Montana: The Movie is “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home”. It is positive, catchy, and celebratory, perfect for the end of the film. This ended up being my favourite track in the film; I think it’s the best Hannah Montana song now. It was written by Taylor Swift and Martin Johnson, and performed by Hannah Montana.
In the End Credits, two other songs by Hannah Montana are heard. The first is “Let’s Do This”, written by Derek George, Tim Owens, Adam Tefteller, and Ali Theodore, from Season 3 of the show. The second is “Spotlight”, written by Scott Cutler and Anne Preven.
The soundtrack for Hannah Montana: The Movie was released on 24th March 2009, before the film came out. All these songs appear on the soundtrack, with one additional track that did not appear in the film being “What’s Not to Like”, written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil, and performed by Miley Cyrus. The soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart in 2009, and was the third Hannah Montana soundtrack to do this, after the first and second albums did in 2006 and 2007[1]. It also topped the Billboard Top Country Albums and Billboard Soundtrack Albums in the US; as well as topping the albums charts in New Zealand, Spain, Austria, and Portugal. It hit No. 3 in the UK Albums chart.
There are other tracks credited at the end of Hannah Montana: The Movie, however, these seem to be background music and instrumentals. This means it is unclear where these pieces would be playing in the film, so I’m not going to specifically mention them, only that “Hampster Dance Song” was used for Miley’s ringtone in the film, and it samples “Whistle Stop” from Disney Animation’s Robin Hood (1973).
The composer of the score for Hannah Montana: The Movie was John Debney. Debney had previously worked on the music for other live-action Disney films, including Hocus Pocus (1993) and its 2022 sequel, and The Princess Diaries (2001) and its 2004 sequel. He also composed the scores for Disney’s animated films The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Chicken Little (2005). More recently, Debney has been the composer on the rom-com Marry Me (2022), Home Sweet Home Alone (2021) for Disney+, and the musical The Greatest Showman (2017) with Joseph Trapenese.
Hannah Montana: The Movie’s music received some nominations and wins at award ceremonies. At the MTV Movie Awards, “The Climb” won for Best Song from a Movie. At the Teen Choice Awards, it was nominated for Choice Music: Soundtrack but lost out to Twilight (2008). This happened again at the American Music Awards, with the Hannah Montana 3 Album also being nominated for Favorite Soundtrack. “The Climb” was up for a Grammy for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media but was later disqualified because it was determined not to have been specifically written for the film[2].
PRODUCTION
Hannah Montana as a series was in development at Disney for years before it eventually came to our screens, as the casting process took a while to complete.
Many different singers and actresses had been considered for the lead role of Hannah Montana, a teenage girl with a dual identity, who would live her daily life as a regular teenager, before transforming into Hannah Montana for concerts and celebrity appearances.
Some of these include Aly and AJ Michalka, sisters that had their own singing duo, as simply Aly & AJ, having signed with Hollywood Records, Disney’s record label, around 2005. Aly was reportedly offered the role of Hannah Montana, as the Disney Channel show she was on, Phil of the Future (2004-06), where she played Keely, was coming to an end. Her sister, AJ, was offered the part of the lead’s best friend, Lilly. However, they turned the parts down, feeling that it would be confusing for viewers to see Aly as a completely different performer, when she already had a successful duo with her sister.
Other celebrities, who were just starting out their careers in the 2000s, who auditioned for Hannah Montana were Taylor Momsen, who played Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), and Daniella Monet, who later had a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 (2005-08). Momsen went on to front the rock band The Pretty Reckless as well as playing Jenny Humphrey on The CW’s series Gossip Girl (2007-12). Monet played Trina Vega in the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010-13). Lucy Hale, who was 14 when she auditioned in Tennessee, where she lived, took part in the audition but did not get the role. Hale went on to play Aria Montgomery in the series Pretty Little Liars (2010-17). Singer JoJo was also reportedly offered the role, but turned it down[3].
Originally, Miley Cyrus was considered to be too young for the part of Hannah Montana when she first auditioned, however, luckily for her, the casting process for the lead role took such a long time that she was later invited back to try for the part again, when she was 13-years-old, and more the age that they were looking for. Her lack of acting experience though meant that Cyrus was somewhat of a risk. The former president of Disney Channel, Gary Marsh, told Cyrus that the decision was split about whether to go with Cyrus or another girl. Marsh wrote an email to his team, fighting for Cyrus to get the role, saying that despite her lack of acting experience, that she could be the channel’s next big star. And she was.
Billy Ray Cyrus was then cast as the father in the series, screen-testing with his daughter. He actually felt that the person who had auditioned before him was a better fit for the father character, though Billy Ray and Miley’s natural connection by being family added an extra element of realism to the series, I thought[4]. This then led to the rest of the casting of the main characters to be completed, in order to film the pilot episode. This included Jason Earles as Jackson Stewart, Miley’s brother, and Emily Osment and Mitchell Musso as Lilly and Oliver, Miley’s best friends.
Many involved with the pilot of Hannah Montana believed that, since Disney Channel had been developing the series for a long time, that Hannah Montana would be greenlit for a series soon after. Season 1 of Hannah Montana began on 24th March 2006, with the season ending on 30th March 2007, after 26 episodes. Season 2 then started up shortly after, on 23rd April 2007, finishing on 12th October 2008, with 29 episodes.
Each episode of Hannah Montana contained a healthy dose of comedy, a little bit of drama and “boy trouble”, original songs, obviously, and, if you were lucky, a pretty big-name guest star. Some of these guest stars came from the Disney Channel family, consisting of both current and future stars, with names like High School Musical’s Corbin Bleu; the Jonas Brothers, appearing as themselves; Sterling Knight and Tiffany Thornton, who later starred in the Disney Channel series Sonny with a Chance (2009-11), and China Anne McClain, before her lead roles in the series A.N.T. Farm (2011-14) and the DCOM franchise Descendants. Other guest stars from the worlds of acting and singing included wrestlers-turned-actors Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena; singers Sheryl Crow, Donny Osmond, and Jesse McCartney; actors Alison Brie, Austin Butler, Ray Liotta, and Heather Locklear; and comedians and actors Larry David and Ray Romano, just to name a few[5].
The Hannah Montana series was created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll, and Barry O’Brien. Poryes had previously created That’s So Raven (2003-07) and later its spin-off series Raven’s Home (2017-23) for Disney Channel. As well as being a co-creator of Hannah Montana, Rich Correll also directed episodes of the series, along with episodes of other Disney Channel series, such as The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-08), Cory in the House (2007-08), and Jessie (2011-15). Barry O’Brien was the showrunner on Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021-25) from 2022, and also wrote episodes of series including Judging Amy (1999-2005) and Castle (2009-16). Disney Channel was sued in 2008 about the creation of Hannah Montana, as writer Morris Taylor Sheffield felt the show’s premise was too similar to the one he pitched for Disney Channel in 2001, called Rock and Roland, about a teenager who is a secret pop star. The lawsuit was settled in 2008[6].
It was in 2007 that talk about a Hannah Montana movie first came to light, when Miley Cyrus stated during an interview at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) that they were working out ideas for a Hannah Montana film[7]. It would not be for another year that filming would begin, taking place from around April to July 2008, ready for a Spring 2009 release date. Filming took place in Los Angeles and Tennessee.
Within L.A., one specific filming location is Santa Monica Pier and its amusement park, which was used as the location of Lilly’s birthday park. The arena The Forum, in Inglewood, California, was also the location for the opening scene, where Hannah Montana is performing a concert. But since most of the film takes place in Tennessee, this is predominantly where filming took place. For the place where Miley and Travis go swimming, this was Rutledge Falls near Tullahoma, Tennessee. The exterior location of the mayor’s dinner that Hannah attends was the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. Grandma Ruby’s farm was on Carl Road, in Franklin, Tennessee, on a 200-acre ranch. This ranch was actually only a few minutes away from where Miley Cyrus grew up, on their family farm. Cyrus even took castmate Emily Osment to her home to see her childhood bedroom, which was still decorated as it was just before she left for L.A[8]. Smiley Hollow in Ridgetop, Tennessee was also used in the movie. It seems to have been used for the final carnival scene. There was actually an incident on set whilst shooting, reportedly in this area, as strong winds blew a projection screen into a Ferris wheel that the film’s extras were on. There were no serious injuries reported though, and Miley Cyrus was not on set at the time[9].
Peter Chelsom directed the film, having previously co-written and directed the films Hear My Song (1991) and Funny Bones (1995), as well as directing the American rom-coms Serendipity (2001) and Shall We Dance? (2004). He recently co-wrote and directed the festive comedy film A Sudden Case of Christmas (2024), starring Danny DeVito.
Dan Berendsen was tasked with writing the screenplay for Hannah Montana: The Movie. After working on the popular show Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996-2003), and its television films, Berendsen began to do a lot of work with Disney Channel on their original movies. His credits include writing the screenplays for Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003); Twitches (2005) and Twitches Too (2007); and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009).
Within the story that were a few scenes and a whole subplot that was omitted from the final film. One of these was a subplot with Jackson, about how he was pretending to be at college in Tennessee, whilst his father and sister were in town, despite not getting into college and having to work at Cousin Derrick’s petting zoo in the meantime. This explains why the petting zoo is included in the film, as it is a bit of a random addition. This subplot would’ve seen additional scenes of Jackson explaining his situation to Miley and pretending to be a student as his dad visits the college campus. There were also meant to be additional scenes with Oswald the reporter, whose presence in the film is supposed to feel intimidating but he appears so infrequently, the character doesn’t seem to be anything more than a slight nuisance. Oswald tries to find Hannah Montana at the fundraiser concert, and attempts to follow her through the crowd, only to find the person he was following was actually Jackson in a Hannah Montana wig, having made and sold them to the fans, making it impossible for Oswald to find the real Hannah Montana. There also would’ve been a scene of Oswald in his hotel room, with the ostrich and the alligator from the petting zoo being placed in there as a distraction. These scenes were all cut for time, but might’ve helped the audience engage with these two characters more than the final film allowed them to[10].
A couple of interesting facts about Hannah Montana: The Movie involve some behind-the-scenes information about the stunts. Not being an action-packed plot, there aren’t many of these, however, the scene of Oswald at the farmer’s market, where he is tripped by tons of walnuts was completed with a team of stunt specialists, 700 pounds of walnuts, and seemingly Peter Gunn, who played Oswald, being suspended on wires, before falling on to the 3D model of the potential mall being built in the town[11]. When Jackson is on the ladder, looking into the room where Lorelai and Billy Ray are alone with Lilly as she pretends to be Hannah Montana, the ladder is meant to fall with Jackson still on it into a squash patch. The ladder was set up with a pulley system, allowing the ladder’s movements to be controlled with Jason Earles clipped on to it. The scene concluded with a fake squash being constructed and put on Earles’ head, complete with goo being put all over him, to make it seem like Jackson had fallen onto a squash and destroyed it.
Costume designer Christopher Lawrence also worked on this film, and thoroughly enjoyed working on the costumes here, especially on Hannah Montana’s, as they are quite outlandish and unique, like Hannah’s dress for the dinner which has a graffiti-style pattern on it, and bedazzled multi-coloured shoes, which apparently took 13-hours per shoe to make! All of Hannah Montana’s costumes were designed and made especially for the film[12].
RECEPTION
After a star-studded premiere, held on 2nd April 2009 at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, and attended by the movie’s cast, including Taylor Swift, and a slew of Disney Channel stars, such as Debby Ryan, Brenda Song, Demi Lovato, and Bella Thorne, Hannah Montana: The Movie was officially released in theatres on 10th April 2009 in the US, which was Good Friday that year. It was released internationally over the next few months.
In the US, due to its release during the Easter Weekend, and because of the dedicated fans that followed the show, Hannah Montana: The Movie did much better at the box office than was initially anticipated, twice as much as Disney had forecast in fact. They were expecting Hannah Montana: The Movie’s sales to be in a similar range to 2003’s The Lizzie McGuire Movie, another theatrically-released film based on a Disney Channel series. However, Hannah Montana: The Movie sold $34 million worth of tickets in its first three days of release domestically, whereas The Lizzie McGuire Movie opened to $17.3 million. This was even more than the 3D film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Wolds Concert (2008), which had had a limited release in North America movie theatres in February 2008; this opened to $31 million. The audience for Hannah Montana: The Movie was, perhaps unsurprisingly, 60% kids and teens aged between 2 and 17.
The performance of Hannah Montana: The Movie in its opening weekend allowed it to be in the No. 1 spot at the US Box Office, beating out Fast & Furious, which slipped to No. 2, with DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters vs. Aliens in third place. To boost potential revenues, Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus apparently made appearances at some cinemas, specifically in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Salt Lake City, Utah on the film’s premiere date. It has been noted that after its initial few days though that revenues for the film tailed off quite sharply, likely due to the determination of fans to see the film as soon as possible, causing a spike right at the start of its box office run[13].
The Lizzie McGuire Movie finished up with a worldwide total of $55.5 million. The Best of Worlds Concert film ended with $70.6 million. High School Musical 3: Senior Year another theatrical film based on Disney Channel property, made a total of $252.9 million globally. Like High School Musical, Hannah Montana was a phenomenon, so where did its own movie end up? By the end of its run, Hannah Montana: The Movie had made $155.5 million in total, which is not up to High School Musical standards, but is still a decent figure. It beat out Zac Efron’s 17 Again, which made $136.3 million, as well as other kid-friendly films such as Hotel for Dogs from Nickelodeon, with $117.2, and Disney’s own live-action film Race to Witch Mountain, which made $106.4 million. But Hannah Montana: The Movie was no match for the top performing films of 2009, like Avatar, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and Pixar’s Up. Both Monsters vs. Aliens and Fast & Furious also finished ahead of Hannah Montana: The Movie.
As Hannah Montana: The Movie is still basically a Disney Channel movie, it was open to the usual criticism that DCOMs receive, around their story, acting, and budget. However, with Hannah Montana being so well-known across the globe and as the film was released to cinemas, it opened the film up to even more people who were not the target demographic, meaning even more and harsher criticism was thrown its way.
Starting with some of the negative responses, some felt that Hannah Montana: The Movie was simply boring, and too cheesy, likely because they were not familiar with the series itself. Hannah Montana: The Movie was not going to feel overly different from the Disney Channel series, so it was expected that the film would be just as silly and goofy as the series, although I would say that the film was more poignant and touching than an average episode of Hannah Montana. There were also characters who seemed quite pointless, such as Oswald, who, despite apparently being necessary to the plot, as he vows to find out Hannah Montana’s secret, actually isn’t even in the film that much, and Cousin Derrick with his ferret, who appears in certain scenes, but doesn’t say or do much. There were complaints from fans of the series too, who didn’t like how Miley was being portrayed as a spoilt brat, solely for the purpose of the movie’s plot, when she hadn’t acted that way in the series. The events of the film are rarely mentioned in the series, so it was almost seen to be a completely pointless exercise even making the film. Perhaps that would not have been the case had Hannah Montana: The Movie been the ending of the entire show – but it was not. The quite major plot point of Miley Stewart revealing she is Hannah Montana to a crowded festival and the sea of people promising to keep her secret so she can continue to be Hannah Montana was also considered optimistic at best and unrealistic at worst.
However, on the positive side, Hannah Montana: The Movie was always made for the fans, with many being happy with this film. For those that enjoyed the film, they thought that the slapstick comedy elements that are present in the series were included in the movie well, allowing for more mature topics, like Miley’s identity issues, to be discussed alongside it, without the comedy element feeling too silly, and the emotional side being too deep; it was a well-balanced film. There was also praise for some of the new cast members, like Melora Hardin and Margo Martindale in their roles here, with the music being another positive aspect of the film. The songs “The Climb”, “Hoedown Throwdown”, and “Always Find Your Way Back Home” are particular favourites.
A year and a half after Hannah Montana: The Movie made it to cinemas, it then had its Disney Channel premiere on 19th November 2010 in the US, making its way to international channels in the months that followed. Its US premiere was said to have been viewed by 4.6 million viewers. This is lower than most Disney Channel movie premieres around this time, with the late-2000s having some impressive audience numbers. In 2010, the most-viewed DCOM premiere was Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam with 7.9 million. In second place, StarStruck was watched by 6 million viewers. As Hannah Montana: The Movie had already been viewable in both cinemas and on DVD by its Disney Channel premiere, this likely led to its lower numbers, but 4.6 million was still a relatively decent figure.
Due to its popularity with fans, Hannah Montana: The Movie found itself being nominated at the Kids’ Choice Awards and the Teen Choice Awards, as well as nominations at the MTV Movie Awards and the People’s Choice Awards. At the Kids’ Choice Awards, Miley Cyrus won the award for Favorite Movie Actress, against such names as Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side, and Zoe Saldaña for Avatar.
At the Teen Choice Awards, Hannah Montana: The Movie was up against tough competition from High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which won Choice Movie: Music/Dance, and Choice Movie Actor: Music/Dance for Zac Efron, where Jason Earles and Lucas Till were both nominated. Emily Osment was also nominated here for Choice Movie: Female Fresh Face, but lost out to Ashley Greene and her role as Alice in Twilight. Twilight also won Choice Movie: Liplock; Miley Cyrus and Lucas Till were nominated here for their kiss in Hannah Montana: The Movie. Miley Cyrus did win two awards at the Teen Choice Awards though. One was for Choice Movie: Hissy Fit, and the other for Choice Movie Actress: Music/Dance, despite being up against Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale.
Elsewhere, Hannah Montana: The Movie was nominated for Favorite Family Movie at the People’s Choice Awards, losing to Pixar’s Up. Miley Cyrus was up for Breakthrough Performance – Female at the MTV Movie Awards. This time, Ashley Tisdale did win for her role as Sharpay in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Finally, and harshly, Hannah Montana: The Movie received some nominations at the Razzie Awards, which I don’t think is fair at all. Disney Channel movies should only be compared amongst each other, not with other films released by major studios. Anyway, Miley Cyrus was nominated for Worst Actress; the award went to Sandra Bullock for All About Steve. Billy Ray Cyrus actually won for Worst Supporting Actor, which just doesn’t seem right at all.
LEGACY
Although Hannah Montana: The Movie may’ve had an ending that seemed to tie up the series, by having Miley finally reveal her secret as Hannah Montana, and perhaps this should’ve been a film to end the series, like The Lizzie McGuire Movie, there were many more episodes of Hannah Montana that followed the film.
The film was released in the middle of Season 3 of Hannah Montana, which ran from 2nd November 2008, and ended on 14th March 2010 with a total of 30 episodes. Season 4, with 13 episodes, followed shortly afterwards. The series commenced on 11th July 2010, and ended with its finale episode on 16th January 2011. This two-part episode, titled “Wherever I Go”, was set up to be the final ever episode of the series, and saw Miley being torn between a potential movie being filmed in Paris, and starting college with Lilly. In the end, Miley makes the decision to join Lilly at college, putting her music and film career on hold. This followed on from Season 4 Episodes 9 and 10, the two-part episode “I’ll Always Remember You”, where Miley revealed her identity as Hannah Montana on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, with Jay Leno appearing as himself. This led to the final episodes of Season 4 being about Miley navigating graduating high school, college plans, and dealing with the fallout from the reveal, and the fame that came from that. I actually thought that was the final episode of Season 4. I guess not; I must’ve missed the rest of that season. There was even an alternate ending made available on the DVD release of the series, which would’ve seen a young Miley Cyrus pretending to be a rock star like her dad, making the entire series appear to be a dream… That would’ve been a terrible ending if it had aired!
During the airing of Hannah Montana, multiple CDs of Hannah Montana’s music had been released with music from the series and the film’s soundtrack. There were also books, video games, and DVD releases of the films and the series to purchase, alongside other merchandise, like clothing, accessories, and dolls. Over the years, Hannah Montana, as a series and a recording artist, won numerous awards, including winning the BAFTA Kids’ Vote at the BAFTA Children’s Awards; numerous Teen Choice and Kids’ Choice Awards; and Young Artist Awards. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Children’s Program at the Primetime Emmys throughout its run. The series premiere in the US had the highest ratings in Disney Channel history with 5.4 million viewers, and has been screened in over a hundred countries worldwide. Hannah Montana albums have had millions of sales, and even had seven singles in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously in 2006[14]. The show’s highest-performing single was “He Could Be the One”, peaking at No. 10 in July 2009. Other hit singles were “Life’s What You Make It”, “Nobody’s Perfect”, and “Hoedown Throwdown”.
A little while after the series had ended, Billy Ray Cyrus voiced interest in working with Disney on a prequel series, that reportedly would’ve followed a younger Miley Stewart, and her making the decision to become Hannah Montana. However, by 2020, Disney had said this project was not in development[15]. With Disney+ always looking at reboots, it is highly possible that a spin-off of some kind for Hannah Montana may later come to our screens, and many of the series’ cast would likely be interested in returning for it.
In 2026, Hannah Montana celebrated its 20th anniversary, with a special called Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. A world premiere for it was held on 23rd March 2026, attended by members of the original cast, such as Cody Linley who played Jake Ryan, Jason Earles, who played Jackson Stewart, and Moises Arias, who played Rico, although some absentees included Billy Ray Cyrus and Emily Osment, who were unable to attend due to work commitments. Mitchel Musso was another who was missing from the premiere of the special, although he did post about it on social media.
The Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special debuted on 24th March 2026. It was hosted by podcaster Alex Cooper, and saw Miley Cyrus go onto a recreation of the original Hannah Montana set pieces, and answer questions about her time on the show. She also discussed other moments of her time on the show, such as talking with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, about his audition process, and reminiscing over costumes with her mother Tish Cyrus-Purcell. Cyrus’ younger sister Noah Cyrus appeared at the end of the special with a birthday cake for the show. Other special guests were Selena Gomez, who played Mikayla, a rival of Hannah Montana’s, in a few episodes of the show, the choreographer on Hannah Montana: The Movie, Jamal Sims, who danced the “Hoedown Throwdown” with Miley, and randomly, singer Chappelle Roan, who said she was a fan of the show when she was younger. This special also had performances by Miley Cyrus, with songs performed including “The Best of Both Worlds”, “The Climb”, and “Younger You”, which was especially written for the anniversary special.
The special apparently had 6.3 million views in its first three days of streaming, and meant that viewership of the Hannah Montana series increased by 1,000% from the week before. The series has been streamed for more than 500 million hours on Disney+[16]. However, despite the renewed interest in Hannah Montana from this milestone anniversary, and the merchandising opportunities that came with it – Starbucks even released a Hannah Montana-inspired drink, the Secret Popstar Refresher – the special received mixed views from fans. Some absolutely loved the special, and all the nostalgia it brought with it, with Miley’s singing performances being a highlight, but for others, they felt the special was hollow and uninspiring, with the lack of returning cast members only adding to that feeling. I personally didn’t enjoy the special. I didn’t learn much about the show, and felt that some of the special guests’ interviews with Miley felt a bit awkward.
Off the back of this special, Airbnb opened up a recreation of the Malibu house from the Hannah Montana series, including a recreation of the “dream closet”. It was available by request for a limited 10 one-night stays between 6th April and 16th April 2026, for free[17].
Outside of television, Hannah Montana has had a limited presence at the Disney theme parks. For example, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort, there used to be the attraction Studio Backlot Tour, which took guests on a tour, where they could see movie props and how special effects were created for films. After Hannah Montana: The Movie’s release, the painted coop, that Travis and Miley paint during her time at Crowley Corners, was placed in the backlot for guests to see. However, the Studio Backlot Tour closed on 28th September 2014, making the coop no longer accessible to guests.
Also at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, from October 2010 to 2013, there was a short stage show performed called Disney Channel Rocks, which was similar to the High School Musical pep rallies that had been seen at this park as promotion for the trilogy of films. Disney Channel Rocks showcased music from many Disney Channel musicals and series including The Cheetah Girls, StarStruck, Jump In!, and High School Musical. Songs from Hannah Montana were not included for some reason.
However, a slightly altered version of this show later appeared at the special event Disneyland After Hours: Disney Channel Nite in March 2024. It contained music from The Cheetah Girls, Camp Rock and its sequel, and High School Musical still, and this time, “Ordinary Girl” from Hannah Montana was included. After the success of its 2024 special event, Disney Channel Nite returned in 2026, for three-nights, on 12th, 14th, and 16th April 2026. Here, Disney Channel Rocks returned, and specifically related to Hannah Montana, there was a photo spot, complete with microphones and the series logo as a background, and at an exhibit from the Walt Disney Archives at Starcade in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, props and costumes from Disney Channel franchises like Camp Rock, High School Musical, and Hannah Montana were on display. From Hannah Montana: The Movie, Hannah’s sparkly dress from the opening concert and Miley’s “Hoedown Throwdown” outfit were two costumes on display, with a Gibson guitar.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The popularity of Hannah Montana has been long-lasting. The music from the show has never been forgotten, and with Miley Cyrus’ personal musical success in the years after the show ended, this has only meant that the show that catapulted her into stardom has continued to remain relevant, over two decades later.
Disney had learnt from this that they could make their Disney Channel series even more successful by using them to make movies, and it is due to Hannah Montana’s success that its own film was able to be released theatrically.
Hannah Montana: The Movie felt like a perfect ending to the series, complete with the catchy tunes that the series was famed for. It didn’t end up being the finale of the series, so it is now more like an extension of the series, but still, it made a decent amount of money and appeased the fans who wanted to see more from their Disney Channel stars.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Keith Caulfield, ‘‘Hannah Montana’ Takes Top Spot On Billboard 200’, Billboard.com, 22nd April 2009.
[2] Credit: Sean Michaels, ‘Miley Cyrus replaced by Karen O in Grammy nomination’, TheGuardian.com, 11th December 2009.
[3] Credit: Katie Louise Smith, ‘Here’s who almost got cast as Hannah Montana before Miley Cyrus’, CapitalFM.com, 26th March 2026.
[4] Credit: Disney, Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special (2026), Disney+.
[5] Credit: Olivia Singh, ’40 celebrities you probably forgot guest-starred on ‘Hannah Montana’’, BusinessInsider.com, 16th January 2021.
[6] Credit: Los Angeles Daily News, ‘‘Hannah Montana’ lawsuit settled’, DailyNews.com, 4th August 2008.
[7] Credit: Seventeen, ‘daily gossip roundup’, Seventeen.com, 10th July 2007.
[8] Credit: D23, ‘5 Things You Didn’t Know About Hannah Montana: The Movie’, D23.com, 10th April 2019.
[9] Credit: CBS News, ‘Minor Accident On The Set Of Hannah Montana Movie’, CBSNews.com, 4th June 2008.
[10] Credit: Disney Channel, “Deleted Scenes” Hannah Montana: The Movie 2009 DVD Overview’, DiamondBoy’s Disney DVD&VHS Walkthroughs & Reviews YouTube Channel, 22nd January 2024.
[11] Credit: D23, ‘5 Things You Didn’t Know About Hannah Montana: The Movie’, D23.com, 10th April 2019.
[12] Credit: Disney Channel, ‘”I Should Have Gone To Film School – With Jason Earles” Hannah Montana: The Movie 2009 DVD Overview’, DiamondBoy’s Disney DVD&VHS Walkthroughs & Reviews YouTube Channel, 22nd January 2024.
[13] Credit: Billboard Staff, ‘‘Hannah Montana’ Rocks Box Office With $34 Million Opening’, Billboard.com, 13th April 2009.
[14] Credit: Beth Neil, ‘Exclusive: Hannah Mania’, Mirror.co.uk, 3rd April 2007.
[15] Credit: Is a Hannah Montana Prequel in the Works? Not So Fast…’, EOnline.com, 5th February 2020.
[16] Credit: ‘‘Hannah Montana’ Anniversary Special hits 6.3 Million Views in Three Days as Original Series Jumps 1,000% in Views’, Variety.com, 27th March 2026.
[17] Credit: Airbnb, ‘Live the best of both worlds at the “Hannah Montana” Malibu house’, News.Airbnb.com, 25th March 2026.
The Disney Purist 