To refute the broad appeal of Hannah Montana is to deny a genuine pop culture phenomenon, even if it has come and gone. Pop culture phenomena have a way of never truly passing — they tend to peter out until they are re-discovered and re-imagined and re-presented, sometimes with a new actor playing the part. To date, however, the character of Hannah Montana is firmly fused to the actress, Miley Cyrus. She is the daughter of country singer, Billy Ray Cyrus, who like all pop icons, enjoyed his time in the cultural frontal lobe, only to be replaced by the next it-thing or infectiously clever song. As she seared her buoyant effervescence into the archetypal consciousness of teenage girls everywhere, her character enthralled a nation.

This, you could argue, is not a demanding feat. Given the exposure and reach of Disney, they can inundate any target demographic with ease. And they can do while we’re grinning from ear to ear, enjoying the show. This is key. This is key to understanding the appeal — and there is a significant one — to the Hannah Montana character. She’s the embodiment of everything that a teen high school student by day and international pop singer by night is meant to be: fun, fun, and more fun.

What is distinctive about the entire franchise is that it started and flourished as a television show on the Disney Channel. Rather than start as a motion picture and be adapted for the small screen, the inverse was true. The only other Disney show that enjoyed that kind of reverse-engineering was the High School Musical series. What both series have in common is a catchy writing staff, incredible production values, and appealing casts.

The basic double-life premise of the television show comes to a head in the big screen version. Struggling to balance the life of a pop star and a normal high school student, Hannah has to makes some tough decisions — decisions that impact the franchise as a whole. Of course, there will be no spoilers here — the pleasure of a film is watching it unfold. Needless to say, Hannah Montana: The Movie is the high point of the series, the culmination of more than four seasons of story-craft and surprisingly poignant performances.

To truly appreciate the scope of the show’s — and the characters’ — impact on popular culture, Hannah was mentioned as a punch line on an episode of The Simpsons. For those in the know, you haven’t made it until you’ve either been turned into a character or been the butt of joke on the venerable show. Nevertheless, the show is well worth the time invested. It is purposefully targeted to teenage girls and probably would not be entirely appropriate for younger audiences, though some parents may not have a problem with its young adult themes.

Tags: movies

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