She’s got the best of both worlds: Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy this year and has now been named a Disney Legend.
Rainie Wilson took the stage to introduce Cyrus and perform a spirited rendition of the “Hannah Montana” classic, “The Best of Both Worlds.” After she finished, she told the singer, “Miley, thank you for never being afraid to step outside the box, always staying true to yourself, and most importantly, always giving your best performance.”
“I’ll let you all in on a little Disney Legend secret. I’m the one who’ll tell you things that you don’t know, and what I’m saying is, legends get scared too. I’m scared right now, but the difference is, we do it anyway and you do it every day. Being scared and doing it anyway is what legends are about. You can’t fail if you try,” Cyrus said, wiping away tears.
“In 2005, Disney was on a mission to turn the company around, so they hired Bob Iger and me,” Cyrus continued with a laugh, recalling her journey to starring in Hannah Montana.
“I am still proud to have been Hannah Montana,” Cyrus said. “I dedicate this award to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans and everyone who made my dreams a reality. To quote the legendary Hannah herself, ‘This is the life,'” she added, referring to the “Hannah Montana” song of the same name.
During the star-studded ceremony held Sunday night at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Cyrus was honored along with costume designers Colleen Atwood and Angela Bassett, Disney parks cast members Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron and Jamie Lee Curtis, Marvel comics artists Steve Ditko and Harrison Ford, animators Mark Henn, Frank Oz and Kelly Ripa, and Imagineers Joe Rohde and John Williams.
The Disney Legends Awards program recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on Disney tradition. Past recipients include Christina Aguilera, Stan Lee, Betty White and Oprah Winfrey.
Cyrus’ journey in the Mouse House began when she was still a teenager, starring as a regular girl living a pop star double life in the wildly popular Disney Channel sitcom “Hannah Montana.” The series spawned a world tour, a concert film, and a feature film, and helped propel Cyrus to fame. It averaged 4.4 million viewers per episode, with a 2007 episode drawing 10.7 million viewers, which still holds the record for the highest-rated basic cable series of all time.
Cyrus later voiced Penny in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Bolt, opposite John Travolta, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for the song “I Thought I Lost You.”
She gradually shed her innocent image for adult hits like “We Can’t Stop,” “Wrecking Ball” and “Malibu,” but returned to her roots last year with the Disney+ documentary concert special “Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions).”
At 31, Cyrus is the youngest person ever to be named a Disney Legend.