Plot: What’s it about?
Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) seems like a normal young woman, but she has a secret of epic proportions. She has a Southern flair with good reason, as she used to live in Tennessee before she moved to California. Her secret is one only known to herself, her father Robbie Ray (Billy Ray Cyrus), her brother Jackson (Jason Earles), and her two best friends, Lilly (Emily Osment) and Oliver (Mitchell Musso). When she isn’t living her normal life as Miley, she is world famous as a rock star named Hannah Montana, but she protects her true identity with a passion. The life of a rock star sounds sweet, but in addition to keeping her secret, Miley also has to contend with all the usual high school problems and then some. Will she be able to keep her secret or will her rock star life lead her to be Hannah full time?
The Hannah Montana train is a true locomotive, a force of nature that has overtaken television, music, and yes, even the box office and there is no slowdown in sight. Miley Cyrus has become the new face of Disney and with good reason, her show is popular, her live performance movie was number one at the box office, and her concerts sell out and parents spend thousands to make sure their little ones can see Hannah live. In One in a Million, we have four episodes of Hannah Montana, so I decided to see if the show was that remarkable. As it turns out, this is just typical Disney Channel stuff, bland, but fun at times, driven by Miley Cyrus’ solid presence. I have no clue why she caught fire so fast, as the show is decent and her music is passable, but the kids want what the kids want, right? If you have a Hannah Montana in your household, One in a Million is a way to relive four of Hannah’s television treks, so for fans, this is recommended.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. The show isn’t as slick or polished as I expected, so the visuals here come off as rather cheap. This looks to be a video production, based on these transfers, so while solid for what they are, don’t expect gloss or shine here. I’ve never watched the show on Disney Channel, but I’d assume this is on par with the channel’s usual standard definition content. The colors look bright, contrast is even, detail is weak, but passable. So while nothing special, these transfers are by no means terrible.
Audio: How does it sound?
The show sounds good, thanks to a clean Dolby Digital 5.1 option. Of course, these shows are dialogue driven and as such, there isn’t much surround use to mention. Hannah Montana’s music does sound quite good here however, so there is life in the mix when it needs to be there. Otherwise, its a basic presentation and vocals sound clear, while other sound effects are well handled, but unmemorable. This disc also includes English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a bonus episode of That’s So Raven, a look at Disney Channel’s top character feuds, and two of Hannah Montana’s music videos.
