In June 2025,
Miley Cyrus, who starred in the 2006
Disney Channel teen sitcom Hannah Montana, started teasing plans about celebrating its 20th anniversary. Later, she admitted that there were no plans at the time, but she was trying to convince
Disney to prepare something. In December 2025, Charlie Andrews of
Disney Branded Television started developing the idea. Production began in January 2026. The series set was recreated at the
Sunset Gower Studios. Cyrus mother,
Tish Cyrus-Purcell, brought out outfits, fan letters and scrapbooks from the archives. Cyrus recruited
Alex Cooper, a fan of the series, to host the special. Cooper came up with the idea of opening it with the shot of Cyrus driving from
Malibu to the soundstage. Since Cyrus didn't want to replicate the wig she wore in the series, she dyed her hair and styled it with bangs instead. The special was filmed in February 2026. Gomez appearance was arranged by Cooper as a surprise for Cyrus on set. She recorded a new song titled "
Younger You" for the special, and also performed it live. On February 17, 2026, the special was announced by Disney. It was produced by HopeTown Entertainment and Unwell Productions. Ashley Edens served as
showrunner, with Cyrus, Cyrus-Purcell, Cooper and
Matt Kaplan as executive producers. == Release and marketing ==