S Poddar
Miley Cyrus, aged just 31, was honored as the youngest person ever to be named a Disney Legend at the Disney Legends Awards 2024 D23 Expo, which was held in Anaheim, California. Now a former Disney Channel star, her eyes welled up when she received that prestigious award, normally granted to those who brought up the ranks of the company and long-influentially showed their mark on showbiz.
At the 2024 Disney Legends Awards, 14 humans were inducted for their very special creative contributions, among them, Angela Bassett, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Harrison Ford. But it was her moment, as Miley looked back from being a Disney Channel child sensation to an international music idol.
It was her talk on the character Hannah Montana that made Miley’s breaking of the ice and brought her to the phase of tears. “I had gotten a taste of what my life could be, and from that moment on, I did not want anything else,” she shared. Years since it ended in 2011 have definitely not changed Miley’s pride over her alter ego, saying, “A little bit of everything has changed but at the same time, nothing has changed at all. I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana.”
Her words from the heart also went to the fans who have supported her all these while in her career. “In so many ways, this award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, ‘This is the life,'” Miley said, referencing one of Hannah Montana’s iconic lines.
But the function wasn’t totally without a shadow of personal pain. The leaked audio is new, only surfacing in recent weeks. In it, her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, is heard degrading her. Rumors have always surfaced alleging tension between Miley and her father, the latter offering subliminal signs of jealousy against Miley, since, after all, it is Miley who has seen unrivaled success over the last few years, not he. Billy Ray’s cruel words, apparently calling Miley “the devil” and a “skank,” only serve to deepen the chasm that clearly lies between them. According to close sources, she has distanced herself from her father, stating that she thinks of him as “dead.”
Roiling and turning in all this personal turmoil, Miley was the picture of poise and elegance at the ceremony, cloaked in a plunging navy-blue pantsuit that showed off her lean frame. Decked with short, highlighted hair, she decked her face as she delivered her speech with a mix of joy and thankfulness, though fighting back tears.
Of course, other Disney legends showed up such as Jamie Lee Curtis, and Lindsay Lohan. BOB Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, was on hand and offered praises for Miley as well as for the rest of the honorees that evening, “To be named a Disney Legend is the highest honor our company can bestow on anyone, reserved for those whose talent and achievement have earned them an enduring place in our history.”. Curtis is one of Hollywood’s favorites through the decades. She couldn’t help but take the award with grace and humor. Wearing a long-sleeved white blouse with polka dots and ivory trousers, she thanked Disney and all her fans for standing by her all of these years. And see, she waxed philosophical about the very idea of legends: “The truth is, legends aren’t formed. They’re created when they’re nurtured and taught and educated.”
Lohan, who starred with Curtis in the hit film “Freaky Friday,” also spoke at the event, fangirling over her on-screen mother. “I have been able to have the pleasure of working with Jamie Lee Curtis. And the magic of Jamie Lee Curtis is that she is timeless. Every character she plays is different, and she always brings something unique to the role,” Lohan added while expressing her admiration for the vet actress.
The D23 Expo was star-studded, so several other honorees and special guests appeared throughout the three-day event. “Avatar” actress Zoe Saldana introduced “Titanic” director James Cameron, who was also being made a Disney Legend. Saldana looked stunning in a navy corset and matching skirt of midi length as she welcomed Cameron on stage.
Disney Legends Awards serve as a reminder of those who have defined the Disney legacy. Heaping all this glory on Miley Cyrus was a moment of reflection of a career littered with peaks and valleys. If not for anything, she derives pride from this character that propelled her to on the spot fame and she tries to maintain the same Hannah Montana sense that put smiles on millions of fans around the world.
