By Brianna Alleva
I loved Hannah Montana, and I love Miley Cyrus. The fact that this show aired 20 years ago is wild, and I hate to think about how old we all are getting.
Revisiting a show like this is not just about the nostalgia. It is also a reminder of how much viewing habits have changed since those Disney Channel days. What used to be appointment TV now lives on streaming platforms, where audiences watch and engage differently.
That shift is what makes moments like this worth paying attention to for marketers trying to reach viewers where they are today.
Advertise on Streaming: Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special
Audience Demographics for CTV
- Streaming enthusiasts
- Music fans (pop / Disney-era artists)
- Celebrity-following audiences
- Beauty/fashion shoppers
- Social media active users
- Co-viewing households
- Disney+ subscribers with multi-user profiles
Typical Advertisements for Streaming
- Beauty & skincare (e.g., Sephora-style brands)
- Fashion retail (Gen Z / millennial brands)
- Streaming/platform promos
- Concerts, music releases, tours
- Family-friendly brands (Target, Disney, etc.)
Where to Stream Reality Check: Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special
- Hulu
- Disney +
Right away, the special started perfectly with Miley singing the show’s theme song; she sounded exactly like the track, and it was amazing.
Then, enter Alex Cooper? And I feel like we started to miss a point. Alex Cooper is a podcaster who interviews many celebrities and is best known for her podcast, Call Her Daddy.
To me, having this special be a podcast was not as nostalgic and whimsical as I had hoped. It kinda pulls it into the modern era, even though I really wanted to go back to when Hannah Montana was a huge thing.
To be fair, Alex asked good questions and brought up things only true fans would know. For example, Miley’s wig in the first episode and the iconic Jake/Jesse love triangle. Alex brought the fan aspect and was genuinely excited to experience this with us.
Eventually, I got used to the podcast format mainly because I just love thinking about that time in Disney history. All the iconic shows: Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, That’s So Raven, Wizards of Waverly Place. For me, this Disney and my tween life were so healing to look back on.
Then, Selena Gomez! I was so excited to see Miley and Selena interact and to see clips of Selena on the show. So good. Also, so healing to see. They both seemed honestly happy for each other and actually friends, despite rumors of a feud for literal years.
Also, seeing Miley and her mom reminiscing in Hannah’s notorious closet was so cute and fun. I personally remember all the outfits and the wigs.
Another great part was all of the breaks with Miley singing; they were my favorite parts. I remembered all the words to Hannah’s songs, and singing along was so fun.
At this point in the special, I start to think that all that matters to me is just good fun, looking back at an iconic show. Any negatives I have heard about the production, I truly didn’t care about. We were honestly so lucky to see this and have this anniversary special, so whatever they could give us was great.
As happy as I was, though, there were definitely some drawbacks I feel like I should mention.
The part that, I admit, got me the most confused was Chappell Roan. My first thought is “why,” but then I think they were trying to show Hannah and Miley’s impact on pop culture and music. The only reason I think this was misplaced was that there were so many more nostalgic people to bring on, maybe like Raven-Symone or Vanessa Hudgens, who could also talk about Miley’s impact.
Another sorta interesting note was the lack of costars that showed up to celebrate. There was actually no one, aside from Miley’s dad, who played her dad in the show.
The special really was Miley reminiscing about the show. This fact isn’t a bad thing, but I would have loved to see a video, maybe from Emily or Miley’s brother from the show. Someone else to see how they interact with Miley and to see how they are doing.
The special ended with Miley singing a very sad and emotional tribute to her time on the show. This was very sad, and I did shed a few tears.
Overall, I was happy to watch the anniversary special, but I was very much left wanting more. I feel like this was the start of an anniversary special, and we never really got what we came for.
My only hope is that this starts a trend of Disney shows doing reunion specials. My millennial heart would LOVE it.
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