Could Disney fans be getting the best of both worlds with Miley Cyrus returning as Hannah Montana?
There is an entire generation of folks who remember Miley’s rise to superstar status as a Disney Channel darling.
It’s been 18 years since Miley first debuted her alter ego, Hannah Montana – and fans think she’s about to bring her out of retirement for a very special reason.
Miley Cyrus Performing As Hannah Montana For Disney Legends Ceremony: The Rumor
Every year, the House of Mouse celebrates a collection of creative contributors to their enduring brand. Over the past decade or so, the ceremony honoring the new Disney Legend inductees has been held at the D23 Expo.
It’s like Comic-Con, but for just Disney stuff!
This year, Miley Cyrus is among the 14 actors, musicians, entertainers, and more being honored at the event. It’s poised to be the highlight of the expo, closing out the event on Sunday, Aug. 11.
Details of the event are kept very hush-hush; all that’s known for sure is who will be inducted and that the event will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest.
However, musical guests who have been named Disney Legends in the past have performed before receiving their honor. For example, when Christina Aguilera was inducted in 2019, she performed Reflections from the movie Mulan.
And in 2011, Paige O’Hara, Lea Salonga, Anika Noni Rose and Jodi Bensen – the voice actresses behind Disney Princesses Belle, Jasmine, Tiana, and Ariel – all performed together after being inducted as Legends.
So, it stands to reason that it’s not inconceivable that Miley could perform during her Legends performance.
But what would she sing?
Could We Get ‘The Best Of Both Worlds’?
Perhaps the most iconic and beloved song from Miley’s time as Hannah Montana is “The Climb”. From the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack, it’s a song Miley herself has enjoyed performing on every tour since she retired the blonde wig.
But fans think it might be time to bust out a performance Miley hasn’t done in nearly two decades.
The rumor is Miley might just perform the theme song to the Hannah Montana show, “Best of Both Worlds“.
Now, again, nothing has been confirmed. But given the honor she’s receiving, and the spectacular year she’s having (remember that epic Grammy win?), she might just be ready to throw it back to her roots.
Another song that she could confirm is Hannah’s “If We Were A Movie”. Just this past July, nearly 20 years since it released, the song went Platinum in America. It’s Montana’s fifth platinum single to date. She’s also reached that tier with “He Could Be the One,” “Rockstar,” “The Best of Both Worlds” and “Nobody’s Perfect.”
Miley Still Embraces Hannah
Over the years, when asked about her experience as Disney’s number one superstar, Miley confessed that it was a lot of work, but that she looks back fondly.
In an interview with W magazine, Miley reflected on all the hard work that led her to become the youngest person ever to be given the Disney Legend honor.
“People have 50- or 60-year-long careers, but mine has been close to 20 years, and I’m 31. I have been in the public for more of my life than I haven’t,” she said. However, she still described her Disney years as “a great, safe experience overall.”
“They say that the creative adult is the child who survived. I worked really hard as a child,” she continued.
Indeed she did. Miley also recognized how much of her adult success is tied to her childhood persona. That’s why she so often does callbacks to Hannah on her social media pages.
She even penned the song, “Used To Be Young”, as a tribute to the kid who fought to be the woman she is today.
In the lyrics, Cyrus references how her appearance has changed over the years. “I don’t dress the same / Me and who you say I was yesterday / Have gone our separate ways.”
She also wore a vintage Mickey Mouse t-shirt, another nod that the song ties into her time as Hannah.
On her ABC special, she said wearing the t-shirt underneath her one-of-a-kind custom-made Maison Margiela bodysuit by designer John Galliano gets “the point across of what the song was really about” as it shows the layers of her life and career.
The Other Disney Legends of 2024
The lineup of inductees set to take the stage at the D23 Expo lives up to the legendary title.
They include Indiana Jones and Star Wars star Harrison Ford and Angela Bassett. She became the first performer to receive an Oscar nomination for a Marvel movie for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Other creatives include Haunted Mansion and Freaky Friday actress Jamie Lee Curtis and Avatar filmmaker James Cameron. They also include Muppets performer Frank Oz, ABC talk show personality Kelly Ripa and composer John Williams.
