Hannah Montana

**Hannah Montana** is an American teen sitcom television series created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 24, 2006 to January 16, 2011 and had a total of four seasons.

## Plot

Miley Stewart lives a double life as an average schoolgirl by day and an international teen idol Hannah Montana by night. Her father Robby Ray Stewart is a successful country music singer under the stage name Robbie Ray and raises Miley and her brother Jackson Stewart as a single father in Malibu, California after their mother Susan died. Miley's best friend Lilly Truscott discovered her secret while attending a Hannah Montana concert. Later in the first season, Miley herself revealed her secret to their close friend Oliver Oken with the intention of ending his romantic interest in Hannah Montana. Lilly and Oliver assumed the aliases Lola Luftnagle and Mike Standley III when appearing with Hannah to protect her secret. Meanwhile, Jackson is employed at Rico's Surf Shop, where his child-aged boss Rico Suave often assigns him to complete embarrassing tasks.

Miley, Lilly and Oliver begin high school in the second season. Rico, who begins high school after skipping several grades, nearly discovers Miley's secret on several occasions. Later in the season, Miley admits to Jake Ryan, whom she initially disliked and later dated in the second season, that she is Hannah Montana. However, their briefly rekindled relationship ends after he struggles to adopt a normal, non-celebrity lifestyle, which Miley is concerned she will lose as a result of dating the actor.

While Miley is off shooting a movie (a parody of Indiana Jones), Lilly and Oliver begin dating in the third season. Though Miley initially feels uncomfortable with the changed dynamic of their friendship, she often helps the pair reconcile after arguing with one another. Miley herself begins dating Jake again, but develops feelings for her bandmate Jesse. Jackson moves into his own apartment while attending college, while Lilly moves in with the Stewart family after her mother finds work in Atlanta, Georgia. In the two-part season finale, Robby buys a ranch in Malibu to bring Miley's horse Blue Jeans from Tennessee, while Jackson leaves his apartment and returns home. Oliver also embarks on a tour with the band that lived above Jackson's former apartment.

In the fourth season, the Stewart family moves into their new ranch and Miley finds out that Jake was cheating on her, from Oliver who has a photo of Jake nibbling another girl's ear. She breaks up with him and soon starts to date Jesse. He admits that he discovered her secret by paying attention to her actions and it begins to inconvenience her friends and family. After much deliberation, Miley reveals to Jay Leno's television audience that she is Hannah Montana. Afterwards, Miley and Lilly graduate high school, with arrangements to attend college. In the series finale, Miley and Lilly prepare to go to college, yet another movie offer comes up. Miley tries to make Lilly reject her, only to fail multiple times. She convinces Lilly to come with her to Paris (where the movie is shooting), however at the airport, Lilly decides not to go, but to return to college (this is due to Oliver convincing Lilly that Miley will get another movie role next year). Miley continues to Paris, only to come back, joining Lilly in Stanford. Jesse and Oliver guest star in that episode and a montage of pictures play at the end of the episode.

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart
* Billy Ray Cyrus as Robby Ray Stewart
* Jason Earles as Jackson Stewart
* Emily Osment as Lilly Truscott
* Mitchel Musso as Oliver Oken
* Moisés Arias as Rico Suave

### Recurring

* Brooke Shields as Susan B. Stewart
* Shanica Knowles as Amber Addison
* Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Ashley Dewitt
* Romi Dames as Traci von Horn
* Hayley Chase as Joannie Palumbo
* Dolly Parton as Aunt Dolly
* Vicki Lawrence as "Mamaw" Ruthie Ray Stewart
* Frances Callier as Roxy Roker
* Cody Linley as Leslie "Jake" Ryan
* Selena Gomez as Mikayla
* Corbin Bleu as Johnny Collins
* Morgan York as Sarah
* Noah Cyrus as Little Girl
* Erin Matthews as Karen Kunkle
* Paul Vogt as Mr. Dontzig
* Lisa Arch as Liposuction Liza
* André Jamal Kinney as Cooper Montgomery
* Teo Olivares as Max
* Andrew Caldwell as Thor
* Tammin Sursok as Siena
* Christine Taylor as Nurse Lori
* Drew Roy as Jesse
* Skyler Day as Ginger

### Notable Appearances

* Ashley Tisdale as Maddie Fitzpatrick
* John D'Aquino as President Richard Martinez
* Madison Pettis as Sophie Martinez
* Laird Macintosh as Agent Kaplan
* Phill Lewis as Mr. Moseby
* Brenda Song as London Tipton
* Dylan Sprouse as Zack Martin
* Cole Sprouse as Cody Martin
* Raven-Symoné as Raven Baxter

## Episodes

See Also: List of Hannah Montana Episodes

 2 | 30
 3 | 30
 4 | 13

### Crossovers

See Also: That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana

That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana is a three-way crossover between the Disney Channel series That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana.

See Also: Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana

Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana is a three-way crossover between the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck and Hannah Montana.

## Movie

See Also: Hannah Montana: The Movie

Hannah Montana: The Movie is the musical film adaptation of the American teen sitcom Hannah Montana. Filming began in April 2008, much of it occurring in Columbia, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California, and was completed in July 2008. The film was released on April 10, 2009 in the United States and Canada.

## Production

Michael Poryes, who is credited as co-creator, also co-created the hit Disney Channel Original Series That's So Raven. The show is produced by It's a Laugh Productions, Inc. and Michael Poryes Productions, in association with Disney Channel Original Productions. It is filmed at Sunset Bronson Studios in Hollywood, California.

The original idea for this show was based on the That's So Raven episode "Goin' Hollywood", which served as the backdoor pilot for a sitcom tentatively called Better Days to star Alyson Stoner, in which a child star of a popular TV show of the same name was to try her hand at going to a normal school. The episode "New Kid in School" has the basic premise as that aforementioned episode.

As the show's concept was further developed, among those considered for the lead role of 'Chloe Stewart' were former American Juniors finalist Jordan McCoy, future Gossip Girl actress Taylor Momsen and pop and R&B singer JoJo (who rejected the role). Miley Cyrus originally auditioned for the role of the "best friend" Lilly Truscott, but they thought she would be better for the main character, so she tried out for Chloe Stewart/Hannah Montana. Chloe Stewart was later changed to Miley Stewart when Cyrus got the part. The names of Hannah Montana were changed a few times. One of the previous names was Alexis Texas.

According to the Daily Dispatch, the TV series held a global audience of 200 million viewers in 2008. "If Miley's viewers were a country, they would be the fifth largest population in the world, just ahead of Brazil." By February 2008, the Hannah Montana franchise had become so important that Disney convened an "80-person, all-platform international meeting to discuss Hannah Montana's future". All Disney business segments were represented at the meeting.

### Opening Sequence

The theme song for Hannah Montana is "The Best of Both Worlds" written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil, produced by Gerrard and performed by Miley Cyrus (as Hannah Montana). John Carta, who also composed the music cues to signify scene changes and commercial breaks for the first season, composed the music for the song. The song's lyrics describe the basic premise of the television series.

The full-length version of the song, which is 2 minutes, 54 seconds in length, was included on the show's soundtrack, released in October 2006. For the TV version of the theme, which lasts only 50 seconds, only the first two stanzas and the last two were used. "Just Like You" and "The Other Side of Me" were originally tested for the opening theme song, before "Best of Both Worlds" was chosen as the theme.

The opening sequence for the first two seasons features episode clips of each cast member when their name appears. Each cast member's name is "wiped" on the screen in a marquee-light-style. The sequence then switches to full-screen episode clips (most of the clips used in the Season One version of the sequence were of the early produced episodes) with the creator's names appearing in the second-to-last clip. The show's title logo design appears at the beginning and end of the sequence (the latter portion on the "concert stage" features Cyrus as her character Hannah Montana). The only change to the sequence for season two were the replacement of episode clips and the addition of the Disney logo above the show's title logo (this particular change was also implemented for later re-runs of the first season).

For season three, a new version of the opening credits was used. It features Miley as herself and Hannah Montana in a Times Square-like setting. The names of the actors and actresses and clips from the show appear in a sort-of marquee board and it features Hannah Montana with her new wig and clothes style. The song playing is a remixed version of "The Best of Both Worlds", that was originally recorded for (and heard in) Hannah Montana: The Movie. This marked the first time that a Disney Channel series has completely revamped its opening title sequence. The sequence was re-formatted for high definition and slightly altered for season four, with the credit typing changed, the addition of the "Forever" wording in the main title logo, the removal of Mitchel Musso from the credit sequence and the inclusion of clips from season four episodes.

## Broadcast

The series is broadcast worldwide on Disney Channel. It premiered on May 6, 2006 in Ireland and it also airs on TRTÉ. In the United Kingdom it premiered on the same date and also airs on Channel 5. In Australia it premiered on August 7, 2006 and on Seven Network on April 7, 2007. It premiered on the same date in New Zealand and airs also on FOUR. It first aired on Family in Canada on August 4, 2006. It premiered in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Singapore on September 23, 2006. It premiered on the same date in Pakistan and also airs on GEO Kids from November 2008 and on WikKid Plus starting January 12, 2009. In South Africa it first aired on September 29, 2006. It premiered in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2008 on CNC3 Television.

## Reception

### Ratings

 2
 3
 4

### Criticism

#### Cyrus's Public Image

As Cyrus continued to develop an increasingly provocative image as Hannah Montana progressed, the series has received criticism for appearing to be a negative influence on its younger audience. In 2010 and 2011, she was recognised as the worst celebrity influence by JSYK, an AOL-owned service, presumably considering a series of sexually-inappropriate pictures and leaked footage of Cyrus smoking Salvia divinorum. In contrast, Cyrus's friend Kelly Osbourne described that such reports "could not be farther from the truth", adding that "she has learned her lesson" after her Salvia divinorum incident.

In 2012, Joe Paul Wilson from the Culture and Media Institute criticised her for "becoming the epitome of the anti-role model for young girls" after establishing a following through her "wholesome" persona as Hannah Montana. Writing for the New York Post, Naomi Schaefer Riley noted that Cyrus "duped" the series' audience after assuming an increasingly provocative public image, posing as an "inherent danger" for younger children.

After a controversial performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, Melissa Henson of the Parents Television Council felt that parents would no longer feel comfortable allowing their children to watch Hannah Montana "knowing what Miley's current stage persona is" and further suggested that Disney would be forced to discontinue the franchise in light of the criticism. Cyrus herself had previously stated her displeasure in not being able to "erase that stuff Hannah Montana and start over" and acknowledged her attempts to "start as a new artist" with her fourth studio album and first record unaffiliated with Disney, Bangerz (2013).

#### Lawsuits

Buddy Sheffield alleged that he pitched the concept for a television series titled Rock and Roland to the Disney Channel in 2001. The program would have focused on a junior high school student who led a secret double life as a rock star, though the network passed on the proposal. However, after Hannah Montana became a successful franchise, Sheffield filed a lawsuit against the Disney Channel in August 2007, commenting that he was owed "millions of dollars" in damages.

In April 2010, series co-creators Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien filed a lawsuit against the Disney Channel for $5 million over profits from the program. They claimed that they were denied their share of profits and pre-negotiated percentage-based bonuses based on their backend deals and Writers Guild of America, West requirements for writers who receive "created by" credits. Correll, who also directed a number of episodes, further alleged that he was unfairly terminated and blackballed by Disney after testifying in connection with a WGA arbitration. A third producer, Michael Poryes, has previously filed a similar lawsuit in October 2008.

## DVD Releases

See Also: Hannah Montana Videography and Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert

Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert is a concert film from Walt Disney Pictures presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The limited release was intended to be for one week, February 1-7, 2008 in the U.S. and Canada with release in other countries later on, but was extended for viewing as long as theatres wanted. Disney announced the concert was filmed in several cities to be theatrically released in the U.S. in February and internationally that month. The film uses 3-D glasses.

The opening weekend, February 1-3, 2008, the movie had gross revenue of $31.1 million. It was the number one movie of the weekend. Opening in only 638 theatres, it set a record of over $42,000 per theatre. It set a record for the highest revenue for a 3-D movie for one weekend.

## Other Media

### Merchandise

In December 2006, Disney announced plans to release Hannah Montana products, including clothing, jewellery, apparel and dolls, at selected stores. Play Along Toys released the Hannah Montana fashion dolls, singing dolls, Miley Stewart doll and other merchandise in August 2007. More Hannah dolls were released in November, along with Oliver, Lilly and later Jake Ryan dolls. They became one of the most popular Christmas toys in 2007.

#### Books

1. Keeping Secrets - based on "Miley Get Your Gum" and "It's My Party and I'll Lie if I Want To"
2. Face-Off - based on "You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Zit Is About You" and "Oooh, Oooh, Itchy Woman"
3. Super Sneak - based on "She's a Super Sneak" and "I Can't Make You Love Hannah If You Don't"
4. Truth or Dare - based on "Oops! I Meddled Again" and "It's a Mannequin's World"
5. Hold on Tight - based on "O Say, Can You Remember The Words?" and "On the Road Again"
6. Crush-Tastic! - based on "Good Golly, Miss Dolly" and "Mascot Love"
7. Nightmare on Hannah Street - based on "Torn Between Two Hannahs" and "Grandma Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Favorites"
8. Seeing Green - based on "More Than a Zombie to Me" and "People Who Use People"
9. Face the Music - based on "Smells Like Teen Sellout" and "We Are Family: Now Get Me Some Water!"
10. Don't Bet On It - based on "Bad Moose Rising" and "My Boyfriend's Jackson and There's Gonna Be Trouble"
11. Sweet Revenge - based on "The Idol Side of Me" and "Schooly Bully"
12. Win or Lose - based on "Money for Nothing, Guilt for Free" and "Debt It Be"
13. True Blue - based on "Cuffs Will Keep Us Together" and "Me and Rico Down by the School Yard"
14. On the Road - based on "Get Down and Study-udy-udy" and "I Want You to Want Me...To Go to Florida"
15. Game of Hearts - based on "My Best Friend's Boyfriend" and "You Are So Sue-able to Me"
16. Wishful Thinking - based on "When You Wish You Were the Star" and "Take This Job and Love It!"
17. One of a Kind - based on "I Am Hannah, Hear Me Croak" and "You Gotta Not Fight for Your Right to Party"
18. Feeling Alright - based on "He Aint A Hottie, Hes My Brother" and "Ready Set Dont Drive"
19. Sweet Not Niblets - based on Killing Me Softly With His Height" and "Dont Go Breaking My Tooth"
20. Lier Pants On Fire - based on You Never Give Me My Money" and "Would I Lie To You Lilly?"
21. Pay Back - based on "Cheat It & Knock Knock Knocking on Jacksons Head"
22. Prom and Promise - based on "Promma Mia" & "Jake...Another Little Piece Of My Heart"
23. Could He Be The One? - based on "He Could Be The One Part 1 and He Could Be The One Part 2"
24. Judging Me - based on "Judge Me Tender & Cant Get Home To You Girl"
25. Miley Says Goodbye? - based on "Should I Neigh Or Should I Go? Part 1 and Should I Neigh Or Should I Go? Part 2"
26. Our New Home! - based on "Moving To Malibu Again" and "About Her Now"
27. Hannah Montana: The Movie
28. Rock the Waves
29. In the Loop
30. Hannah Montana My Memories Will Last Forever

## Awards and Nominations

**Films:** Hannah Montana: The Movie
**Video:** Hannah Montana Videography
**Seasons:** Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4
**Episodes:** List of Hannah Montana Episodes