Taglines: She has the best of both worlds… now, she has to pick just one.
Hannah Montana: The Movie Storyline. Walt Disney Pictures takes the Disney Channel phenom to the big screen in the feature film extravaganza Hannah Montana: The Movie. Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) struggles to juggle school, friends and her secret pop-star persona; when Hannah Montana’s soaring popularity threatens to take over her life-she just might let it. So her father (Billy Ray Cyrus) takes the teen home to Crowley Corners, Tennessee, for a dose of reality, kicking off an adventure filled with the kind of fun, laughter and romance even Hannah Montana couldn’t imagine.
Filmed entirely on location in and around Nashville, Tennessee, and Los Angeles, California, “Hannah Montana The Movie” stars Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias and Billy Ray Cyrus. Also starring are Melora Hardin, Margo Martindale, Barry Bostwick, Peter Gunn, Lucas Till and Vanessa Williams. Guest stars include Tyra Banks, Taylor Swift and country music trio Rascal Flatts.
Miley Cyrus’ top-rated Emmy-nominated television series, “Hannah Montana,” sold-out 70-city concert tour and third consecutive top-selling album (“Breakout”) in less than two years have propelled the young actress-singer-songwriter to international stardom. Following the series’ sensational debut in March 2006 (5.4 million viewed its premiere), Cyrus became an immediate hit with audiences, and her own exploding popularity has mirrored those of her increasingly famous television alter egos, Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart.
Hannah Montana: The Movie is a 2009 American teen musical comedy-drama film based on the Disney Channel television series of the same name. It was the third theatrical film based on a Disney Channel Original Series, after The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) and The Even Stevens Movie (2003) The film was directed by Peter Chelsom with screenplay penned by Daniel Berendsen. The film was produced by David Blocker, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Steven Peterman and Michael Poryes. The film stars series regulars Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Mitchel Musso, and Moisés Arias, as well as Lucas Till, Vanessa Williams, Margo Martindale, and Melora Hardin.
About the Production
“Miley is one of those rare, incredible talents. She can sing, she can dance, she can act-and she’s funny,” says the film’s producer Al Gough. “To be natural on film is the hardest thing in the world, and she does it without any effort, her instincts are so good. To watch her grow as an actor over the course of making this film has been amazing.”
Bringing “Hannah Montana” to the big screen was a natural step in the evolution of Cyrus’ multiple talents and the audience’s rabid desire to know more about their beloved heroines, Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana.
In the movie, Miley sings, dances and performs 13 songs and musical numbers, many as Hannah Montana, some as Miley Stewart. It’s when her Hannah Montana persona begins to take over the responsibilities and commitments of Miley Stewart’s life that her father, Robby Ray, decides to intervene and try to set things right.
“As the film starts in CityLos Angeles, the pressure is building on Miley with the demands of being Hannah Montana,” says Billy Ray Cyrus, who portrays Miley / Hannah’s father, Robby Ray Stewart, and is Miley’s real-life father. “She’s kind of lost herself, the little girl from Tennessee. Robby Ray decides the best medicine would be to go home. In real life, my dad always says it is important to be aware of your surroundings and where you’re at. Always be looking forward and know where you want to go but, most importantly, never forget where you come from. That’s what this story is about.”
Miley says: “The story shows how you need to be able to take the time to realize who you are and where you’ve come from. I know I have to do that in my life sometimes. It feels great to come home to Nashville and be comfortable with who I am. Where you’re from reflects a lot of who you are and who you’ll become as you get older. Like what happens in the movie, you have to take it back down to the real world.”
When Miley returns home for her Grandma Ruby’s (Margo Martindale) birthday party, she’s not just returning to Tennessee after a long absence, she’s also rediscovering how much her family, friends and home mean to her after her emerging success as a pop star. In “Hannah Montana The Movie” the audience gets to travel back home with Miley Stewart and see where it all began and how she became Hannah Montana.
“On the TV show, you never got to see the origins,” screenwriter Dan Berendsen says. “This movie takes you full circle to how she became Hannah Montana without being a flashback.”
About Hannah Montana’s Roots
As Miley Stewart finds in the course of the movie, you can go home again. Since its 2006 debut, the series “Hannah Montana” has become a pop culture phenomenon, garnering Emmy nominations, No. 1 ratings and an ever-expanding, loyal fan base. The idea of a young pop star who wants to live an ordinary life unaffected by her stardom found wide appeal with family audiences and placed the series at the No. 1 spot for series among children 6-14 on U.S. cable television during its first two years on the air.
“With `Hannah Montana,’ the character is the concept, so it easily translates to film,” says producer Gough. “It’s basically a superhero movie for girls. She’s a normal high school student by day and pop star by night. So, she’s dealing with identity issues, family issues, relationship issues. Most kids and adolescents who deal with the same issues feel as if they don’t have any power, so the idea of putting on a wig and a costume and being a powerful superhero is teen wish fulfillment.”
The Disney Channel and “Hannah Montana” series creators and executive producers, Michael Poryes and Steve Peterman, structured a strong ensemble cast around the charismatic star and lead character, played by a then-13-year-old unknown named Miley Cyrus, grounding her character in family and friendships while exploring the adventures of her secret double life. This included an easy-going but wise widower father (Billy Ray Cyrus), an older, but not exactly wiser brother, Jackson (Jason Earles), and a trusted and true best friend, Lilly (Emily Osment).
Once Miley and Billy Ray were cast, Poryes and Peterman took the basic premise and tweaked it to fit the realities of the Cyrus father-daughter relationship. So the father and daughter now come from a small town in Tennessee and have recently moved to Los Angeles. The characters are both singer-songwriters, and their homespun conversations are filled with southern sayings and recollections. With their exceptional chemistry, the father-daughter dynamic easily translated into an accessible blend of music and comedy. Miley and Billy Ray and Miley and Robby Ray had become inspiredly intertwined.
“It’s pretty much art imitating life imitating art,” says Billy Ray Cyrus about their onscreen counterparts. “We never planned it, but once it happened, Miley and I worked hard to make it and keep it real.”
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
Directed by: Peter Chelsom
Starring: Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Margo Martindale, Jason Earles, Peter Gunn, Melora Hardin, Mitchel Musso, Lucas Till, Vanessa Williams, Margo Martindale, Taylor Swift, Katrina Smith
Screenplay by: Dan Berendsen
Production Design by: Caroline Hanania
Cinematography by: David Hennings
Film Editing by: David Moritz
Costume Design by: Christopher Lawrence
Art Direction by: Elliott Glick
Music by: John Debney
MPAA Rating: G for general audience.
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: April 10, 2009
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