From iconic songs to long-kept Disney secrets, Miley Cyrus revisits the role that defined a generation and we feel every second of it.
The Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special doesn’t ease you in. It immediately throws you back into it.
Miley Cyrus walks in and performs “Best of Both Worlds” like no time has passed, and it’s almost disorienting how fast your brain catches up. You don’t need a reminder, you already know the words, the timing, the energy.
Then it builds into a medley, starting with “This Is the Life” and landing on “The Climb,” and that’s when it shifts. It stops feeling like a performance and starts feeling like a timeline. Like you’re watching the show, the movie, and your own memories all at once.
Related story: What’s the latest in Disney’s ‘Tangled’: Kathryn Hahn hard-launches Mother Gothel in live-action lineup
Related story: 20 years ago, ‘High School Musical’ taught me not to stick to the status quo
The set, the sound, the small details, they really brought everything back
What surprised me most is how complete it feels.
They didn’t just reference the show, they rebuilt it. The Stewart house is there, the closet is back, even that very specific transition sound is used again. And it’s such a tiny detail, but it instantly grounds everything. Even the wardrobe feels intentional. The sequins, the scarves, the exaggerated Hannah look, it’s still there.
And when Cyrus talks about the early days, it adds context. The wig wasn’t always perfect. The styling came from trial and error, with her mom helping shape what eventually became iconic.
You finally get the real stories behind the Disney version of events
Cyrus talks about how she wasn’t even the clear choice for Hannah at first—that it took months of casting, and that she was considered a risk. Hearing that while watching the footage back makes it land a little harder. It could’ve gone another way.
She also confirms things people have been speculating about for years, like dating Dylan Sprouse, and casually explains how the Jonas Brothers ended up on tour with her.
There’s also that detail about her intentionally talking about the anniversary special before it even existed, taking advice from Dolly Parton to basically will it into happening. It’s small, but it says a lot about how much control she has now versus then.
You realize how big that Disney era actually was
One thing you notice while watching is how casually she talks about things people used to speculate about. She confirms she dated Dylan Sprouse during their Disney years, and even explains how the Jonas Brothers ended up touring with her—because she didn’t want to be away from her boyfriend (Miley and Nick Jonas dated back then) at the time.
She also briefly zooms out and talks about that era as a whole—when everything overlapped, from Hannah Montana to High School Musical, and how people like Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were basically the standard of “cool.” It’s not a long segment, but it’s enough to remind you how connected that entire Disney moment really was.
Even the film ties back into that, with Taylor Swift brought in early in her career to write “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” for Hannah Montana: The Movie and performing “Crazier.” It’s a small detail, but it puts into perspective how much of that era was built in the same orbit.
Seeing her with Selena makes everything feel full circle
One of the most interesting parts is when Selena Gomez shows up and they revisit their on-screen rivalry. They both laugh about how intense the lines were—how mean some of the dialogue actually sounded now—and it lands differently because you can see how much time has passed. Just two people looking back at something they were once fully in, now from the outside. It’s light, but it says a lot about how that era has aged.
Related story: Spider-Man: Brand New Day—what we know, fan theories, and what to expect
By the end, it becomes less about Hannah and more about Miley
Cyrus talks about how she used to separate herself from Hannah, like the character was something she had to protect or manage. But now, it feels more integrated. And that’s really what the special is about. Not revisiting Hannah as a character, but understanding her as part of who Miley became. She closes it with a new track, “Younger You,” layered with archival footage.
Going into it, I expected nostalgia—and it delivers that.
But what I didn’t expect is how much context it adds. You see the risks, the decisions, the way things were built behind the scenes. You understand it more, not just as a show, but as something that shaped a whole era.
And somehow, even with all that perspective, one thing stays the same.
You still know every word.
Related story: Moana moves to live-action: Disney debuts first look with familiar faces and fresh framing
Related story: The first trailer of HBO’s Harry Potter Series is here and it feels like magic again
