On Tuesday, Disney+ released the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special,” or as Miley Cyrus calls it, the “Hannahversary.” This special has been long-awaited as Cyrus has been teasing it since last summer. The special ran for only an hour, but it was still something quite special. If I had to describe the special in one word, it would be “healing.”
Miley Cyrus gave herself a Hannah transformation, bleaching her hair, getting bangs, and sporting a scarf and capris. In this special, she returned as Hannah, though later she points out that Hannah is truly a part of her. The set came back with all the same details it had 20 years ago. There were so many references to the show. For instance, when Miley opens the fridge door, we see ketchup bottles with labels reading “hand moisturizer,” as well as jars of corn labeled “sweet niblets.” While the classic “Hannah Montana” transition music was used throughout the special, the highlight came at the end, when Miley recreated the scene of leaving the house and kissing the door while the “Ooooh yeaaaa” plays.
There were some very notable guest appearances in the special, including her parents, Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus. It was really heartfelt to see the mother-daughter duo walk into the iconic closet and go through the outfits Tish herself helped design. We also got to see Miley and her father read through a scene together, which was also sweet. Noah Cyrus also made a brief appearance in the credits, celebrating the “Hannahversary” with Miley and Tish. Alex Cooper, host of the podcast “Call Her Daddy,” also came to interview Miley and take a walk down memory lane. During the interview, Miley dropped that she is team Jake over team Jesse (I’ll let that slide because she gave us this special). She also opened up about her experience with guys on the set. She confirmed that she had a crush on her co-star Mitchel Musso, and she dated “The Suite Life” star Dylan Sprouse. Selena Gomez came in the middle of the show and reminisced about her time as a guest star. Chappell Roan also came to the studio later on and talked about how she was a fan of Hannah growing up and that Hannah “walked so I could run.” Despite all these guests, some people who were a very big part of the show weren’t there. Jason Earles, Emily Osment and Dolly Parton were fan favorites on “Hannah Montana,” but were absent in the special. This disappointed a lot of fans, including myself. However, the special was only about an hour long, so it could not fit many guest appearances. Perhaps we could have gotten even more out of this special with more time.
Miley performed three classic songs to a small audience while I wondered where my invite was. The “Best of Both Worlds” performance was fun and, of course, had to be done because it was the iconic theme song to the show. “This Is the Life” was near and dear to my heart, as it is one of my favorite “Hannah Montana” songs. It was beautiful hearing Miley sing the lyrics to this song while looking back at her own life through Hannah. Miley also performed “The Climb,” which felt like such a fitting song to be in this special, where she’s looking back at her own journey that led her to who she is today. At the end of the special, Miley surprised us with a new song, “Younger You.” It did not seem like the audience for the past songs was there. This song is from the perspective of Miley’s younger self as she talks to her now. The song was released on streaming platforms on Friday, March 27. It was a very emotional way to end the special.
In the beginning, I said that this special was healing. Miley Cyrus came back to celebrate Hannah, even though she had wanted to distance herself from her in the early 2010s. Miley explained in her special, “I used to think of Hannah as something separate from myself ... What I love about this special is that it’s my kind of reclaiming of merging Hannah and Miley together.” She’s come to peace with Hannah. We also see the heartwarming reunion with her parents. Finally, it was healing for the fans. We learned from this special that our younger selves are still an integral part of who we are. Though we should not consistently dwell on our past, we should be able to look back on it and celebrate it. I would rate this special a seven out of ten — it was fantastic, but could have been even better with more time and guests.
