Walt Disney Home Video presents

Hannah Montana: One in a Million (2007)

“That big announcement, boy, was that…great and…and big. Didn’t see that one coming.”- Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus)

Stars: Miley Cyrus
Other Stars: Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Earles, Mitchel Muso, Emily Osment, Heather Locklear, Moises Arias, The Jonas Brothers, Vicki Lawrence, Dolly Parton, Cody Linley, Selena Gomez
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:13m:42s
Release Date: 2008-01-29
Genre: family

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B	B	B	B+	C

 

DVD Review

Ask any kid between the ages of 9 and 14 what they’re “into” these days, and there’s a good chance their answer will be High School Musical and Hannah Montana. While the former focuses on feature-length films and high-selling CD soundtracks, the latter gets to kids from numerous directions. When Hannah’s fans aren’t watching their favorite character on TV or having their parents buy scalped concert tickets for thousands of dollars, chances are they’re keeping her DVDs in heavy rotation. The latest of those is Hannah Montana: One in a Million, and it’s more of the stuff kids can’t get enough of.

Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) is on the cusp of her teenage years, but she already has more responsibilities than most kids her age. You see, Miley has an alter-ego: Hannah Montana, a pop star sensation that has taken the world by storm. She’s still trying to adapt to living in Hollywood, as she moved there from Tennessee with her dad, Robbie (Miley’s real-life dad Billy Ray Cyrus), and her brother Jackson (Jason Earles). Helping her adjust are best friends Oliver Oken (Mitchel Muso) and Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment), who are among the few that know Miley and Hannah are one in the same.

This disc features four episodes from the TV show, beginning with Lilly’s Mom Has Got It Goin’ On. During this installment, Robbie goes on a date with, you guessed it, Lilly’s mom, Heather (Heather Locklear). Unfortunately, things don’t go well at all between the two, leaving Miley and Lilly at odds over who’s to blame for this mismatch. Meanwhile, Jackson and Rico (Moises Arias) are pretending to be each other.

In Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas, another new pop music sensation, The Jonas Brothers make their much anticipated (take my word for it) appearance on the show. Robbie gets to spend some time jamming with these boys, and at the same time, making Miley extremely jealous. This episode also features a hilarious bit involving Jackson’s attempt to break the world record on a pogo stick. I Will Always Loathe You finds Miley in the middle of a long-running feud between her Aunt Dolly (Dolly Parton) and Mamaw (Vicki Lawrence), while That’s What Friends are For? involves the return of Miley’s ex-boyfriend, Jake Ryan (Cody Linley). He just wants to be friends with her, but she isn’t too pleased when she sees him kissing her enemy Mikayla (Selena Gomez), even if it is only for a movie he’s in. We also get some funny stuff with Rico making a bet with Oliver and Jackson, where they get all the hot dogs they want for a month if they don’t bathe themselves.

I went into this review with the mindset that I was simply taking one for the team by enduring this title. Surprisingly, I actually gained at least a little bit of respect for the Hannah Montana craze. As a 30-something male, I’ll never quite understand why kids are so gaga over Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter and her singing, but with a 12-year-old daughter of my own and armed with some first-hand experience with the show, I can sure appreciate the series for what it is.

Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Each episode is presented in the original full frame aspect ratio, and looks similar to the way they do on TV. The series has an overall soft look, evident here as well. The colors are extremely bright, cheery hues, which fit the material perfectly.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Dolby Digital 5.1	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is impressive, with the entire sound field utilized during the music performances. Dialogue is really the only other important audio element here, and the actors’ speech is always clear and easy to understand.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+ 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
9 Other Trailer(s) featuring 101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition, Wall·e, Minute Men, Twitches Too, High School Musical 2: Extended Edition, Snow Buddies, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, Enchanted, Wizards of Waverly Place
1 Featurette(s)
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:

1. “One in a Million” Music Video
2. “True Friend” Music Video
3. Bonus Episode – That’s So Raven – Run Raven Run

Extras Review: Surprisingly, there aren’t a bunch of extras here, but the ones that are included are sure to appeal to the fan base. We start with a pair of music videos for the songs One in a Million and True Friend.

Next, there’s Come Feud with Me: The Top 10 Disney Channel Character Feuds. This nearly 12-minute piece is a nice, comprehensive look at exactly what the title suggests, as our host Jason Earles guides us through a nice little Disney Channel history lesson.

Aside from the standard Disney “Sneak Peeks,” the only other extra is a bonus episode of the show That’s So Raven, entitled Run Raven Run.

Extras Grade: C
 

Final Comments

I’m certainly not a part of the target demographic for Hannah Montana, but it’s easy to see why preteens (especially girls) lap this stuff up. Disney’s new DVD episode collection, One in a Million, gives kids four more installments to play over and over again.

Chuck Aliaga 2008-01-28