‘Hannah Montana’ Creator Rejects Claims of Inspiration From The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Hannah Montana creator Michael Poryes has pushed back against recent suggestions that the hit Disney Channel series drew inspiration from the 2004 film The Lizzie McGuire Movie, saying the concept behind Hannah Montana was developed independently and without influence from the earlier project.
Speaking to TMZ on Wednesday, Poryes said the show was not inspired “in any shape or form” by The Lizzie McGuire Movie. According to Poryes, the idea originated after Disney approached him with a general concept centered on a pop star. He then developed the core premise, a teenage girl navigating a double life as an ordinary student and a famous performer, while working alone in what he described as his small garage office in Los Angeles.
Hannah Montana premiered in 2006 and quickly became one of Disney Channel’s most successful series, turning its star, Miley Cyrus, into a global phenomenon. The show ran for four seasons and spawned concert tours, merchandise, and a feature film, cementing its place in early-2000s pop culture.
Poryes’ comments come in response to remarks made by Hilary Duff, who starred in Lizzie McGuire and its theatrical spinoff. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Duff reflected on the legacy of The Lizzie McGuire Movie, in which her character unexpectedly becomes involved in international pop stardom after being mistaken for an Italian singer. While rewatching clips from the film, Duff suggested that Disney may have recognized the appeal of the “ordinary girl thrust into fame” storyline. “I think that Disney knew they were tapping into something when this worked so well,” Duff said. “I’m sure it was some source of inspiration.”
While Poryes firmly rejected that interpretation from a creative standpoint, the connection between the two projects has long been a topic of fan discussion, particularly given Disney Channel’s tendency in the mid-2000s to build franchises around music-driven storytelling and dual-identity narratives.
Adding further nuance to the conversation is Cyrus herself, who has openly credited Duff and Lizzie McGuire as a major personal influence. In a 2020 livestream conversation with Duff, Cyrus recalled watching growing up and aspiring to follow a similar path.
“The only reason I wanted the Hannah Montana role was so I could do whatever you did,” Cyrus said at the time. She added that her admiration for Duff predated her own interest in acting or music, saying she simply wanted to emulate her career. “I would never be sitting here and being able to be a light if it wasn’t for you,” Cyrus told Duff.
While Cyrus’s comments highlight the cultural throughline between the two Disney eras, Poryes maintains that Hannah Montana’s origin was rooted in a separate creative process. His remarks underscore a distinction between individual inspiration and institutional storytelling trends, particularly within a network known for iterating on themes that resonate with young audiences.
Ultimately, while Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana share thematic similarities, Poryes insists that the latter’s conception was not derived from the former, but rather emerged from a broader Disney initiative and a distinct creative vision that went on to shape one of the network’s most influential franchises.
