Sequins, sing-alongs and scarves: Inside the 'Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special' premiere

Get your blond wigs, sequin dresses and cowboy boots ready. The signifier lights are connected and Miley Cyrus, and her change ego(s), returned this week with the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.”

To observe 20 years since the merchandise of the archetypal occurrence of the Disney Channel show, Cyrus teamed up with “Call Her Daddy” big Alex Cooper for a documentary peculiar that is simply a retrospective look astatine the taste power of her show, “Hannah Montana.” It features appearances from “Hannah Montana” impermanent stars similar Selena Gomez and sister Noah, and celebrated fans similar Chappell Roan. At Monday’s premiere lawsuit astatine L.A.’s El Capitan Theatre, Cyrus explained that the peculiar was a accidental for her to acquisition what fans emotion astir Hannah.

“Tonight isn’t astir looking backmost into the past, but it’s astir what it means to us, still, tonight,” Cyrus said during her opening remarks. “For me, present that I get to beryllium a portion of it that I ne'er could erstwhile I was successful the mediate of everything.”

Ayo Davis, president of branded tv astatine Disney, said that “Hannah Montana” continues to resonate with viewers 2 decades aft her debut due to the fact that she reminds fans that “you don’t conscionable person to take 1 mentation of yourself.”

Cyrus astatine the premiere afterparty astatine the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

(Ser Baffo / Disney)

“You tin beryllium bold. You tin beryllium silly. You tin beryllium competent and unsure of each your acts astatine the aforesaid time,” Davis said during her opening remarks. “What’s large is that an wholly caller procreation is inactive discovering the magic of Hannah for the precise archetypal time. The love, effect and feedback that we proceed to get connected this franchise is genuinely incredible.”

Cyrus thanked Disney for taking a accidental connected a miss from Tennessee with small acting experience, saying earlier she was cast, she was “pretty overmuch a virgin” erstwhile it came to performing. Cyrus besides shouted retired Gary Marsh, the erstwhile president of Disney Branded Entertainment, who, successful the special, work aloud the email helium wrote to the casting squad aft selecting Cyrus to prima successful the role.

“We pridefulness ourselves connected not conscionable connected creating large television, but connected creating stars. I americium acceptable to propulsion the trigger connected Miley. Is she a risk? Unquestionably. Is she a imaginable star? Absolutely,” Marsh said. “I’m thrilled that each of america volition beryllium capable to beryllium down implicit a portion successful a fewer years and retrieve this infinitesimal erstwhile we decided to forsake the harmless way for the riskier 1 and the greater reward.”

Marsh’s email was 1 of galore archival pieces pulled for the day special. The squad down it rebuilt Miley Stewart’s surviving country and rotating closet, with existent outfits from the amusement that Cyrus had kept successful storage. Cyrus and her mother, Tish, adjacent brought retired Hannah’s aged wigs, joking that “the amended the circuit got, the amended the wig got.”

Cyrus besides answers questions by Cooper candidly passim the special, firing disconnected accelerated quips. Yes, the rumors were existent — Cyrus dated histrion Dylan Sprouse, who starred successful “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” during their Disney Channel heyday. When it came to the Miley-Jesse-Jake emotion triangle connected “Hannah Montana,” Cyrus said she would prime Jake. Sixteen years later, she inactive remembers the choreography to the “Hoedown Throwdown” (watch the peculiar to spot it for yourself). And no, Taylor Swift’s cameo successful “Hannah Montana: The Movie” wasn’t lone due to the fact that Swift helped constitute euphony for the soundtrack.

“This was benignant of the opening of her career, and they were looking for idiosyncratic that would authentically — nary shade, I conjecture — beryllium performing successful a barn,” Cyrus explained.

With a reverence for the old, but excitement for the new, the peculiar includes Cyrus performing Hannah’s astir iconic hits similar “The Best of Both Worlds,” “This is The Life” and “The Climb,” but besides featured a caller song, “Younger You.” At the premiere, fans sang on to the classics and sniffled during “Younger You.”

Miley Cyrus, left, with her parent Tish, connected the recreated “Hannah Montana” acceptable successful the day special.

(Ser Baffo / Disney)

The premiere was besides a accidental for Disney‘s aged defender to mingle with the adjacent procreation of stars, wherever formed members from “Camp Rock 3,” galore of whom weren’t calved erstwhile “Hannah Montana” premiered, sang on to songs from the aboriginal Disney hits. And 2000s manner was backmost successful afloat force, arsenic partygoers sported capris with layered vessel tops. As fans posed with props similar the Stewart “leg table” and retro Hannah outfits, the lawsuit was a accidental to observe each things “Hannah Montana.”

Irene Yu, 40, and Kiet Pham, 43, came dressed arsenic Hannah and her champion person Lily (played by Emily Osment). Yu recreated Hannah’s promo outfit, wearing a achromatic jean overgarment and pants combo, a sparkly pinkish apical and a blond wig to circular retired the look. Pham donned a neon pinkish wig and a vest, channeling Lily’s change ego, Lola. The brace had been eagerly awaiting the event, choosing to instrumentality clip disconnected enactment to marque it to the premiere.

“I started watching ‘Hannah Montana’ erstwhile I was successful postgraduate school. Graduate schoolhouse is truly hard, and truthful I binge-watched each 3 seasons of ‘Hannah Montana’ astatine that time, and it conscionable got maine done immoderate truly unsmooth patches during schooling,” Yu explained.

Yu added that the duo had entered the D23 lottery to be the event, aft perpetually checking lawsuit calendars and societal media to spot if determination was “any benignant of accidental to acquisition 20 years of her legacy.”

For Cyrus, fans similar Yu and Pham are the crushed this peculiar exists.

“It wasn’t magic, which Disney is known for creating. It was the effort, the loyalty, the enactment of the fans who made my beingness possible,” Cyrus said. “For that, I americium truthful grateful to each and each 1 of you.”