What is Hannah Montana The Movie about? Miley Cyrus Interview

Question: What is “Hannah Montana: The Movie” about?

“Hannah Montana: the Movie” is basically about Miley Stewart going back to Tennessee to her roots and to become the normal girl she was. Not necessarily give up Hannah Montana, but give up just a little bit more of the rock star life and become a normal girl again.

Question: How does the soundtrack tell the story of Hannah Montana?

The soundtrack is all about getting back to your roots. We have songs like “Back To Tennessee” by my dad (Billy Ray Cyrus) and “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home,” which is a new Hannah Montana song. There are songs that really bring it back to Nashville and especially “Butterfly Fly Away.” It’s a country song. Even “The Climb” is more country.

Question: What was it like for you to record the soundtrack for Hannah Montana?

Recording the soundtrack was fun because you go a little out of order. I started recording even before we went into production for the movie and then finished recording after acting in the movie. It’s easier recording once you’ve seen the movie. But I liked kind of getting a feel for the movie before I went into production. So that was cool, being able to hear the music to get a gist of what the film was going to be like before we even got started.

Question: How was recording a soundtrack different?

Being in the studio for a movie is a little different, because the songs are definitely a little more animated because they’re trying to tell a story along with the script. They have to compliment each other. It made it fun and also a little more of a challenge.

Question: What does the music mean to you?

The music means a lot to me because “The Climb” is something that is so inspirational. I think that’s really cool. I think it really describes the movie. “Butterfly Fly Away” is probably my favorite song on the album because it’s me and my dad once again. I think that’s really cool to put that on the big screen.

Question: Talk about “The Climb”

“The Climb” is really cool because I think it isn’t only for fans that are necessarily fans of the movie or fans of the show. But it is for anyone around the world at any age. They can all relate to this song because it really is true. It’s not just about the destination. It’s about the journey. It’s about the getting there. It’s about the work you put into what you love.

Question: What’s the emotion in the song “The Climb”?

The emotion of “The Climb” definitely shows a lot of inspiration, courage and strength. I think that’s really cool. Definitely it shows more of the inner strength and how you have to push yourself. Because there’s always going to be challenges, but it’s all up to you to make it happen.

Question: How does the song relate to you?

“The Climb” relates to my real life because I still have more to work up to. I definitely want to keep going and doing more things. It really just shows that you’re never at the top. You’ve always got more places to go.

Question: What do you want people to get from the soundtrack?

With the soundtrack, I want people that haven’t seen the movie to listen to the soundtrack and go - Oh my gosh! I really want to see the movie now because the soundtrack tells the story a little bit. People that are fans of the music get just a little bit of the story but they’ll want to keep getting more and more. They want to see more. They want to see what happens.

Question: What about the people who’ve seen the movie, then listen to the soundtrack?

I think it’ll be cool because you’ll see the movie and you’ll have more of the visual picture when you’re listening to the song. I think that’ll be fun. When you turn the music on, you don’t only see how it inspires you or how you like a song but you get to see different scenes. You get to hear them throughout the movie and get introduced to the songs.

Question: How’d you come up with all the songs on the CD?

I wrote one song on the soundtrack. I wasn’t a huge part of the writing because I was filming and I was just so busy. But we did get a really good collection of songs together. I’m really proud of it and it is definitely fun to listen to. They all reminded me so much of the movie and were very inspiring to me and made me want to work harder for the movie. So that’s why we picked the ones we did.

Question: Talk about the song “Let’s Get Crazy”

“Let’s get Crazy” is basically just about wanting to have a good time and being able to dance with your friends and have fun. I think it’s more of a party song than anything else.

Question: What do the lyrics of the song mean?

“Let’s Get Crazy” is a song that is in the scene where Lilly’s having her Sweet 16 party. It’s mostly just about having a good time with your friends. At one part its like get up and dance! It’s dance and sing and do whatever makes you have a good time so I think that’s cool.

Question: So how does the boardwalk scene go?

The boardwalk scene is Lilly’s Sweet 16 party so it fits in well because everyone is dancing. There’s also a lot of chaos going on because Hannah Montana shows up to Lilly’s Sweet 16 Party. So I think that’s perfect because everyone is going crazy seeing this pop star at just their normal friend’s party. She wants people to have fun at her party but it wasn’t supposed to be about Hannah Montana. It’s supposed to be about Lilly Trescott.

Question: Talk about the “Hoedown Throwdown”

“The Hoedown Throwdown” is cool because there’s definitely a lot of dancing songs in this movie but it’s still not a musical. We’re not always dancing and singing at the same time. This scene is the one time we actually get to do a little of a musical. We don’t necessarily have everyone dancing all of the time. So this is where you get to see the entire cast and even some of the crew dance. We finally get to have a part that shows all of us really come together through a song. It makes the town and Miley a little closer. She starts to feel more at home. I think that’s really cool the way it bonds the community.

Question: Did you help come up with the dance moves?

Jamal Simms is my choreographer.. We know each other pretty well. There were parts we thought we could make it funkier and more of a hip-hop vibe and still catch a country base. We had fun creating the dances but he’s still the master. He’s the mastermind behind it all.

Question: What is it like getting to see other people doing the dance?

It is cool because I have all these kids at different events say I know the “Hoedown Throwdown” now! That’s really cool that they can get to dance to it and then in the theaters, hopefully they’ll get to dance to it too!

Question: What’s the remix of “Best of Both Worlds?”

The remix of “Best of Both Worlds” has different drums and different guitars. It’s pretty much the same song. It’s just more of a fun poppier version. I’ve been singing that song for 3 years now so I think it was time we updated it and made it more fun and crazier. It’s a little dancier too.

Question: Where does this song go in the movie?

The “Best of Both Worlds” is in the beginning of the film. It’s where you get to see where the Hannah glamour all starts out. Dancing to “Best of Both Worlds” then it turns into a music video.

Question: Where does “The Climb” fall into the film?

“The Climb” is mentioned in the film a couple times. It originally starts with Lucas Till who plays Travis. I ask if all he wants to do is work on a farm. He’s says it’s about where I am right now, it’s about the climb, it’s about getting to the top. I’ll be there someday. Another time, Emily asks me if I’m ready to go and she’s asking was this hard work, what you did? Because I put together a chicken coop! I’m like it’s just about the climb.

Question: What was it like to make the music video?

The music video was really cool. It wasn’t like any music video I’ve ever done before, because I was on the green screen. Its nuts to be able to work like that. Then see the end you’re like oh my gosh I was just on a green screen and look how beautiful it turned out! I was in the middle of the Grand Canyon .

Question: What’s so special about the Hannah Montana the Movie soundtrack?

The Hannah Montana the Movie soundtrack is cool because it really does tell the story of the movie. I think that’s fun to really understand where all the inspiration for the movie came from. “The Climb” is a really cool song and the only way you can get it is off the soundtrack, so that makes it really special.

Question: What do you want your fans to get out of the soundtrack?

When fans listen to the soundtrack I hope they are more inspired by the movie and that they relate to me and to the character a little better.

Question: How does the movie relate to you?

The movie relates to me because my character goes back to Nashville and it’s really nice to go back home. There are songs like “Back to Tennessee ” and “You’ll Always Find your Way Back Home.” They’re all about Nashville and that’s where I’m from and that is my roots. I think Nashville is a lot of the reason why I am who I am.

Hannah Montana The Movie Fun Facts

Extras were hired to play paparazzi during one scene in which Hannah Montana is making a music video in Santa Monica. Meanwhile, off screen real paparazzi were trying to capture the moment.

Star Lucas Till’s four-legged co-star, Seabiscuit, was the horse that played the title character in the 2003 film “Seabiscuit,” a true story about a Depression-era race horse that beat the odds.

Director Peter Chelsom was an actor for 15 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Hannah Montana’s concert, which opens the film, was shot at the Forum in Inglewood , California , the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Kings as well as the location of hundreds of concerts. During the concert, Miley Cyrus performed a couple of her revamped biggest hits for the 1,000 extras on hand.

Filming in Tennessee returned the Cyruses to their own home near Nashville .

The shoe fight sequence between Hannah Montana and Tyra Banks was filmed in two locations. The exterior was filmed on the very posh Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills , while the interior was shot in a department store in Tennessee .

At a fundraiser in the film, Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) gets up on stage and teaches the audience the dance steps to the show-stopping “Hoedown Throwdown,” a hip-hop country fusion number in which the song’s lyrics are the dance instructions. The filmmakers nicknamed the number “Miley’s Macarena.”

Miley/Hannah performs classic crowd favorites such as “Rockstar” and “Best of Both Worlds” in addition to unveiling 10 brand new songs including “The Climb,” “Hoedown Throwdown,” “Let’s Get Crazy,” “Butterfly Fly Away” and “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home.” Also performing in the film are hit musical acts Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts.

Hannah Montana The Movie stars Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias and Billy Ray Cyrus

Walt Disney Pictures takes the Disney Channel phenom to the big screen in the feature film extravaganza HANNAH MONTANA THE MOVIE. Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) struggles to juggle school, friends and her secret pop-star persona; when Hannah Montana’s soaring popularity threatens to take over her life—she just might let it. So her father (Billy Ray Cyrus) takes the teen home to Crowley Corners, Tennessee, for a dose of reality, kicking off an adventure filled with the kind of fun, laughter and romance even Hannah Montana couldn’t imagine.

Filmed entirely on location in and around Nashville, Tennessee, and Los Angeles, California, “Hannah Montana The Movie” stars Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias and Billy Ray Cyrus. Also starring are Melora Hardin, Margo Martindale, Barry Bostwick, Peter Gunn, Lucas Till and Vanessa Williams. Guest stars include Tyra Banks, Taylor Swift and country music trio Rascal Flatts.

Walt Disney Pictures presents “Hannah Montana The Movie,” directed by Peter Chelsom (“Serendipity,” “Shall We Dance?”) and written by Dan Berendsen (“Twitches,” “The Initiation of Sarah”) based on characters created by Michael Poryes and Rich Correll & Barry O’Brien. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, whose film screenwriting credits include “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” “Spider-Man 2” and “Shanghai Noon,” are producing the film, marking the duo’s first feature under their Walt Disney-based production company, Millar/Gough Ink. The film is executive produced by David Blocker (“Into the Wild,” “Don King: Only in America”) and the team of Michael Poryes and Steve Peterman (“Hannah Montana”).

Director of photography is David Hennings (“Blue Crush”), and the production designer is Caroline Hanania (“Serendipity,” “Shall We Dance?”). The editor is David Moritz (“P.S. I Love You,” “Town & Country”), and the costume designer is Christopher Lawrence (“Cellular,” “The Alibi”). The music is by John Debney (“Meet Dave,” “The Passion of the Christ”), and the choreographer is Jamal Sims (“Hairspray,” “Step Up,” “Step Up 2: The Streets”).

Miley Cyrus’ top-rated Emmy®-nominated television series, “Hannah Montana,” sold-out 70-city concert tour and third consecutive top-selling album (“Breakout”) in less than two years have propelled the young actress-singer-songwriter to international stardom. Following the series’ sensational debut in March 2006 (5.4 million viewed its premiere), Cyrus became an immediate hit with audiences, and her own exploding popularity has mirrored those of her increasingly famous television alter egos, Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart.

“Miley is one of those rare, incredible talents. She can sing, she can dance, she can act—and she’s funny,” says the film’s producer Al Gough. “To be natural on film is the hardest thing in the world, and she does it without any effort, her instincts are so good. To watch her grow as an actor over the course of making this film has been amazing.”

Bringing “Hannah Montana” to the big screen was a natural step in the evolution of Cyrus’ multiple talents and the audience’s rabid desire to know more about their beloved heroines, Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana.

In the movie, Miley sings, dances and performs 13 songs and musical numbers, many as Hannah Montana, some as Miley Stewart. It’s when her Hannah Montana persona begins to take over the responsibilities and commitments of Miley Stewart’s life that her father, Robby Ray, decides to intervene and try to set things right.

“As the film starts in Los Angeles, the pressure is building on Miley with the demands of being Hannah Montana,” says Billy Ray Cyrus, who portrays Miley/Hannah’s father, Robby Ray Stewart, and is Miley’s real-life father. “She’s kind of lost herself, the little girl from Tennessee. Robby Ray decides the best medicine would be to go home. In real life, my dad always says it is important to be aware of your surroundings and where you’re at. Always be looking forward and know where you want to go but, most importantly, never forget where you come from. That’s what this story is about.”

Miley says: “The story shows how you need to be able to take the time to realize who you are and where you’ve come from. I know I have to do that in my life sometimes. It feels great to come home to Nashville and be comfortable with who I am. Where you’re from reflects a lot of who you are and who you’ll become as you get older. Like what happens in the movie, you have to take it back down to the real world.”

When Miley returns home for her Grandma Ruby’s (Margo Martindale) birthday party, she’s not just returning to Tennessee after a long absence, she’s also rediscovering how much her family, friends and home mean to her after her emerging success as a pop star. In “Hannah Montana The Movie” the audience gets to travel back home with Miley Stewart and see where it all began and how she became Hannah Montana.
“On the TV show, you never got to see the origins,” screenwriter Dan Berendsen says. “This movie takes you full circle to how she became Hannah Montana without being a flashback.”

As Miley Stewart finds in the course of the movie, you can go home again.