I saw Hannah Montana in theaters twice. I do not know exactly why, but this movie just really quickly became a movie that touched me and was like what I needed when I was in a depressed funk. It was released on DVD just when I really longed for it again and need it. It is hard to describe, but there is just something about the story of Hannah/Miley going back to her roots and finding her true self again that is just uplifting.

The plot of the Hannah Montana movie is basically about the Hannah Montana part of Miley’s life taking over and her becoming more of a stereotypical self-absorbed superstar. When Miley ruins her best friend Lily’s Sweet 16 party by showing up as Hannah and being late because she got in a catfight with Tyra Banks over a pair of shoes, her Dad (Robby Ray) decides she needs to go back to Tennessee and rediscover the Miley part of herself (i.e. the more true her). She is reluctant to go along with her dad’s idea of dropping the whole Hannah thing, but slowly does find the old country girl inside herself.

The movie is not all serious, as there are several funny things to balance out the serious, but it really is a sort of more serious toned movie than one might expect from the Hannah Montana series. The movie has the ongoing theme in the series of Miley leading both her Hannah and Miley life and the recurring possibility of the secret getting out. This time the threat comes from a British tabloid reporter trying to figure out what Hannah Montana’s secret is and wanting to tell the world. I will not say if she ends up being all Miley, all Hannah, or continues her life of the best of both worlds, but seriously it is a rather predictable ending.

This release has several special features.  There are a few deleted scenes with the director introducing them.  There is also a funny Outakes Fun With Hannah & the Gang sequence.  Additionally there is a music video of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus.

The Backstage Disney part of the special features has Find Your Way Back Home, I Should Have Gone to Film School with Jason Earles, and Audio Commentary.  The Find Your Way Back Home is a great featurette with Miley giving a tour of Franklin, Tennessee including her taking some time to work behind the counter at an ice cream shop, and Emily Osment (Lily) gives a tour of Hollywood/Los Angeles as her hometown.  I Should Have Gone to Film School with Jason Earles is a fun featurette with Jason (Jackson) going around the set asking the actors what different film terms are and then eventually finding out the answers from the pros.  The audio commentary is narrated by the director and is a pretty good one about the making of the movie and really gives some good insight to the behind the scenes making of the movie.  However it would have been nice if there was a version with at least one of the main actors commentating or commentating along with the director.

By the way I have the 2-disc deluxe edition, which even comes with a iTunes friendly version of the movie (I am excited to be able to put it on my iPhone and always have it with me).  I am not sure if the other special features are all the same on the regular edition or some of them are only on the Deluxe Edition.

Overall this is a great movie in my opinion.  I have heard from several parents that they are not much into the show, but actually surprisingly like the movie.  At the same time I have heard that many fans of the show, especially the younger crowd did not like the movie as much as the show.  I think that is because it is a little more deep and serious than the show, which is more comedy.  Beyond just liking the movie, I still like DVDs to have fun special features in order to get a good overall rating from me and this did not disappoint, especially since it has my favorite type of bonus feature (audio commentaries).

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12