Last week, Disney released the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” on Disney+ and Hulu. Apart from a few wholesome moments and a great original song debut, most of the special is a messy assortment of interviews and forced sentimental moments that elicit very little nostalgia unless the viewer is a diehard “Hannah Montana” fan.
The documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look at the early 2000s TV show “Hannah Montana,” which starred Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart, a teenage girl who leads a double life as a famous pop star.
In the film, viewers are brought back to the original set, exploring Miley’s closet as Cyrus reminisces about her time on the show. Several stars make cameos and while some — such as fellow Disney star Selena Gomez — make sense, others — like Chappell Roan — feel completely out of place.
The documentary also features an interview between Cyrus and Alex Cooper, an influencer known for her podcast “Call Her Daddy.” Cooper’s appreciation for the show sets a jovial atmosphere, but the interview remained largely superficial, only alluding to Cyrus’ struggles with teen fame.
The special continued to grasp at sentiment, with sweet scenes of Miley Cyrus’ mother, Tish Cyrus, revealing the behind-the-scenes role she played in the show. Still, it fell short of profundity, as Miley Cyrus read an old script with her on- and off-screen father, Billy Ray Cyrus — the moments felt forced, as if each of them were reading off a teleprompter.
The film’s shining moment was when Miley Cyrus took to the stage to debut a new song, not as Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus, but as the best of both worlds. The song, titled “Younger You,” is a sentimental ode to her growth as she sings, “Hey, you, it’s younger you / I'm just checking in to see if you still remember me.”
The song serves as a testament to the star’s talent as a musician and its music video is a fitting nostalgic accompaniment, juxtaposing clips of present-day Miley Cyrus with the younger, brown-haired version of herself.
The song, written as a letter from a younger Miley Cyrus to her adult self, has melancholic instrumentals that are well-aligned with its lyrics. The song’s sentimental story is especially profound for the show’s original fans, who first watched the show nearly two decades ago and are now entering the world as adults.
“I know you’re busy with your job, but don’t forget to call your mom / And dad too, he misses you / He may tell you that he’s fine, but you’re always on his mind,” Miley Cyrus sings.
The song and its music video alone achieve everything the special could have achieved: it honored Miley Cyrus — and Hannah Montana — while providing fans an opportunity to reminisce on a cultural phenomenon.
Talia LeVine is a section editor covering arts and culture. They study Political Science and Visual Art with a focus on photography. In their free time, they can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee.
