Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana, also known as Hannah Montana Forever for the fourth and final season, is an American musical comedy series created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll, and Barry O'Brien which focused on Miley Stewart (portrayed by Miley Cyrus), a teenager living a double life as an average schoolgirl by day and a famous recording artist Hannah Montana by night. It follows the day-to-day life of Miley, her brother and friends while also starring Cyrus' country singer father Billy Ray Cyrus as her dad.

The series, produced by It's a Laugh Productions and Michael Poryes Productions, premiered on Disney Channel on March 24, 2006 and concluded on January 16, 2011 after airing four seasons and ninety-eight episodes. The soundtrack albums Hannah Montana (2006), Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus (2007), Hannah Montana 3 (2009), and Hannah Montana Forever (2010) were released to coincide with their respective seasons. In 2007, the series' success led to the Best of Both Worlds Tour, which visited North America. The following year, it was adapted into the 3D film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert and its accompanying soundtrack. In 2009, the series' first feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie was released to commercial success, and was additionally promoted through its accompanying soundtrack. The show has additionally distributed all seasons to DVD.

The series received generally favorable reviews from critics, and has been recognized as a "guilty pleasure" by several media outlets. The show's instant success is widely credited with the launch of Cyrus' career and her establishment as a teen idol. However, as she continued to develop an increasingly provocative image as the series progressed, the series has received criticism for appearing to be a negative influence on its younger audience.

Contents [hide]
1 Conception 1.1 Opening sequence

2 Premise 2.1 Cast and characters
2.2 Storylines

3 Reception 3.1 Awards and accolades
3.2 U.S. television ratings

4 Criticism 4.1 Cyrus' public image
4.2 Lawsuits

5 Episodes
6 Broadcast
7 Films 7.1 Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert
7.2 Hannah Montana: The Movie

8 Discography
9 Distribution
10 See also
11 References
12 External links

Conception

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. Former American Juniors finalist Jordan McCoy, future Gossip Girl actress Taylor Momsen and pop and R&B singer JoJo (who rejected the role)[1] were considered for the role of Chloe Stewart. Miley Cyrus originally auditioned for the role of the "best friend"[2] 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.[3] The names of Hannah Montana were changed a few times. One of the previous names was Alexis Texas.[4]

In December 2006, Disney announced plans to release Hannah Montana products, including clothing, jewelry, apparel, and dolls, at selected stores.[5] 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.[6]

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."[7] 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".[8] 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.

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 reformatted 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.

Premise

Cast and characters

See also: List of Hannah Montana characters and List of Hannah Montana main characters

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Miley Cyrus (pictured) served as the series' central focus during its four-season run.

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Throughout its run, the series was led by five (seasons 1; 4) and six (seasons 2–3) primary characters. Its original main characters are Miley Stewart (portrayed by Miley Cyrus), Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment), Oliver Oken (Mitchel Musso), Jackson Stewart (Jason Earles), and Robby Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus).[9] In the second season, Rico Suave (Moisés Arias), who originally appeared in a supporting capacity during the first season,[10] was integrated into the primary cast.[11] During the fourth and final season, Oken became a supporting character due to Musso's involvement on the television series Pair of Kings, which aired on the sister station Disney XD.[12]

The aforementioned character's storylines were largely developed by supporting cast members. Susan Stewart (Brooke Shields) is shown as Miley and Jackson's deceased mother in flashback scenes, while Aunt Dolly (Dolly Parton) is portrayed as Miley's godmother (Parton is Cyrus' real-life godmother). Jake Ryan (Cody Linley) was depicted as an actor for the popular television series Zombie High. He briefly attended Seaview Middle School with Stewart, Truscott, and Oken, and engaged in an on-again/off-again relationship with Stewart in several points during Hannah Montana. Roxy Roker (Frances Callier) was close friends with the Stewart family, and additionally served as their bodyguard during public appearances. Amber Addison (Shanica Knowles) and Ashley Dewitt (Anna María Pérez de Tagle) are shown as stereotypical school divas, and are notably the rivals of Stewart and Truscott. Jesse (Drew Roy) is introduced as one of Miley's later love interests.

Storylines

Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment, left) and Oliver Oken (Mitchel Musso, right) portrayed Stewart's best friends throughout the series.

In its series premiere, Hannah Montana first introduced Miley Stewart, who lives a double life as an average schoolgirl by day and a famous recording artist Hannah Montana by night.[13] Her father Robby 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.[13] 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 in order to protect Miley's 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 first 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. Meanwhile, Jackson continues to find himself in conflict with Rico, and opens a short-lived "cheese jerky" stand with Oliver after being briefly fired from the surf shop.

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 band mate 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 begins dating 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.

Reception

Awards and accolades

Year

Award

Category

Recipient

Result

2006 Teen Choice Awards TV – Choice Breakout Star Miley Cyrus Nominated[14]
Golden Icon Awards Best New Television Comedy Hannah Montana Nominated[15][16]
Casting Society of America Best Casting – Children's TV Programming Carol Goldwasser and Howard Meltzer Nominated[17]
2007 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Comedy Miley Cyrus Won[18]
Choice TV Show: Comedy Hannah Montana Won[18]
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress Miley Cyrus Nominated[19]
Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Supporting Young Actress Emily Osment Nominated[19]
Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Recurring Young Actor Cody Linley Nominated[19]
Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Recurring Young Actress Morgan York Nominated[19]
2007 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress Miley Cyrus Won[20]
2007 UK Kids' Choice Awards Best TV Show Hannah Montana Nominated[21]
Best TV Actress Miley Cyrus Nominated[21]
Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's Program Hannah Montana Nominated[22]
Casting Society of America Best Casting – Children's TV Programming Carol Goldwasser and Howard Meltzer Won[23]
2008 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Comedy Miley Cyrus Won[24]
Choice TV Show: Comedy Hannah Montana Won[24]
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Leading Young Actress Miley Cyrus Won[25]
Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress Ryan Newman Nominated[25]
Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment,
Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias and Cody Linley Nominated[25]
Best Family Television Series Hannah Montana Won[25]
2008 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Show Hannah Montana Nominated[26][27]
Favorite TV Actress Miley Cyrus Won[27]
2008 UK Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Kids' TV Show Hannah Montana Nominated[28][29]
Favorite Female TV Star Miley Cyrus Won[29]
2008 Australian Kids' Choice Awards Fave Comedy Show Hannah Montana Nominated[30][31]
Fave International TV Star Miley Cyrus Won[31]
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming Hannah Montana Nominated[32][33]
Gracie Allen Awards Outstanding Female Lead – Comedy Series (Children/Adolescent) Miley Cyrus Won[34]
BAFTA Children's Awards BAFTA Kid's Vote: TV Hannah Montana Won[35]
Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's Program Hannah Montana Nominated[36]
Casting Society of America Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Children's Series Programming Carol Goldwasser and Howard Meltzer Won[37]
2009 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Comedy Miley Cyrus Won[38]
Choice TV: Sidekick Emily Osment Won[38]
Choice TV: Parental Unit Billy Ray Cyrus Won[38]
Choice TV Show: Comedy Hannah Montana Won[38]
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress Miley Cyrus Nominated[39]
Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Supporting Young Actor Moises Arias Nominated[39]
Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Supporting Young Actress Emily Osment Nominated[39]
2009 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Show Hannah Montana Nominated[40][41]
Favorite TV Actress Miley Cyrus Nominated[40][41]
2009 Australian Kids' Choice Awards Fave International TV Star Miley Cyrus Nominated[42]
Meus Prêmios Nick Brazil Favorite TV Program Hannah Montana Nominados[43][44]
Gracie Allen Awards Outstanding Female Lead – Comedy Series (Children/Adolescent) Miley Cyrus Won[45]
BAFTA Children's Awards BAFTA Kid's Vote: TV Hannah Montana Won[46]
Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's Program Hannah Montana Nominated[47]
Casting Society of America Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Children's Series Programming Carol Goldwasser and Howard Meltzer Nominated[48]
2010 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress Miley Cyrus Nominated[49]
Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 14 and Over Nate Hartley Won[49]
2010 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress Miley Cyrus Nominated[50][51]
Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Female Personality Miley Cyrus Nominated[52][53]
Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's Program Hannah Montana Nominated[54]
Casting Society of America Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Children's Series Programming Carol Goldwasser and Howard Meltzer Nominated[55]
2011 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 11–13 David Burrus Nominated[56]
Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress Ten and Under Mary-Charles Jones Nominated[56]
2011 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress Miley Cyrus Nominated[57][58]
Kids' Choice Awards Mexico Favorite International Program Hannah Montana Nominated[59][60]
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Comedy Miley Cyrus Nominated[61][62]
Casting Society of America Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Children's Series Programming Carol Goldwasser and Howard Meltzer Nominated[63]

U.S. television ratings

The series premiere of Hannah Montana garnered 5.4 million views, giving the Disney Channel the highest ratings in its history.[64] The series' most-viewed episode, "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas" aired on August 17, 2007, to an audience of 10.7 million. In doing so, it also became the most-viewed episode on basic cable.[65]

Ratings table

Season

Timeslot

Season premiere

Season finale

Episode #

Viewers

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(in millions)

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Most watched episode

Title

Viewers

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(in millions)

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Season 1 Fridays, 8/7c March 24, 2006 March 30, 2007 26 4.04 "On the Road Again?" 7.1[66]
Season 2 Saturdays, 8/7c

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Fridays, 8/7c (episodes 17–20)
Sundays, 8/7c (episodes 21–29) April 23, 2007 October 12, 2008 29 4.74 "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas" 10.7[65]

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Season 3 Sundays, 8/7c

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Sunday, 7:30/6:30c (season finale
both parts) November 2, 2008 March 14, 2010 30 4.75 "Super(stitious) Girl" 9.3[67]

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Season 4 Sundays, 8/7c July 11, 2010 January 16, 2011 13 5.05 "I'll Always Remember You" 7.1[68]

Criticism

Cyrus' public image

"When Walt Disney was running the company, it would have been unthinkable that a former Disney star would go this route. I can’t imagine any parent, knowing what Miley’s current stage persona is, letting their child get too attached to the Hannah Montana character. So for that reason, Disney may find themselves forced to retire the character all together."

Melissa Henson of the Parents Television Council discussing the connection between the series and Cyrus' continued career.[69]

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 recognized 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.[70] In contrast, Cyrus' 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.[71]

In 2012, Joe Paul Wilson from the Culture and Media Institute criticized her for "[becoming] the epitome of the anti-role model for young girls" after establishing a following through her "wholesome" persona as Hannah Montana.[72] 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.[73]

After a controversial performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, Hollie McKay of Fox News 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.[69] 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).[74]

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.[75]

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.[76]

Episodes

Main article: List of Hannah Montana episodes

The first season of Hannah Montana commenced airing on March 24, 2006 and concluded on March 30, 2007 after broadcasting 26 episodes. An additional episode, titled "That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana", served as a crossover episode with That's So Raven and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and was broadcast on July 28, 2006.[77] The second season had 29 episodes, and aired from April 23, 2007 until October 12, 2008.[77] An additional episode, titled "No Sugar, Sugar", was filmed but was not broadcast in the United States after parental complaints alleged that the episode provided inaccurate information regarding diabetes.[78]

The third season of Hannah Montana premiered on November 2, 2008 and concluded on March 14, 2010 after broadcasting 30 episodes.[77] Its twentieth episode aired on July 17, 2009 and served as the third and final installment of the "Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana" crossover episode;[77] the first was considered an episode of the second season of Wizards of Waverly Place,[79] while the second was produced as an installment of the first season of The Suite Life on Deck.[80] Furthermore, the season was interrupted with the premiere of Hannah Montana: The Movie, which was released on April 10, 2009.[81]

The fourth and final season of Hannah Montana was renamed Hannah Montana Forever,[82] and premiered on July 11, 2010.[77] After broadcasting 13 episodes that season, and 98 episodes across all four, the series finale aired on January 16, 2011.[77]

Broadcast

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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.

Films

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert

Hannah Montana & 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 US and Canada with release in other countries later on, but was extended for viewing as long as theaters wanted. Disney announced the concert was filmed in several cities to be theatrically released in the US 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 theaters, it set a record of over $42,000 per theater. It set a record for the highest revenue for a 3-D movie for one weekend.

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,[83] much of it occurring in Columbia, Tennessee,[84] and Los Angeles, California,[85][86][87] and was completed in July 2008.[88] The film was released on April 10, 2009 in the United States and Canada.[89]

Discography

Main articles: List of Hannah Montana songs and Hannah Montana discography

SoundtracksHannah Montana (2006)
Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus (2007)
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
Hannah Montana 3 (2009)
Hannah Montana Forever (2010)

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Other albumsHannah Montana 2: Non-Stop Dance Party (2008)

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Best of Both Worlds Concert (2008)
Hits Remixed (2008)
Best of Hannah Montana (2011)

Distribution

See also: List of Hannah Montana DVDs