A Disney Star Is Born

Behind the star-making formula of tween-TV hit Hannah Montana.

She embodies every pre-teen's fantasy: a cool 13-year-old with great hair and a secret life as a pop star. But to executives at the Disney Channel, Miley Cyrus is more of a dream come true.

Cyrus stars as Miley Stewart in Hannah Montana, the cable channel's live-action show about a girl who leads a normal life by day but at night dons a blonde wig to perform as a famous pop star (Hannah). It's a role that has turned Cyrus into a real-life TV star and Hannah Montana into a monster hit among a generation of tweens too young for Degrassi and too old for Dora The Explorer. "In Miley we found the perfect girl to carry off this part," says executive producer Michael Poryes. "She has a kind of strength and sweetness that make her character appealing, an unmistakable something that makes you believe she's a star."

That's what Disney is counting on. Having just celebrated her 14th birthday, Cyrus is at the center of a synergistic whirlwind of guest appearances, concert dates and recording sessions aimed at hyping Hannah Montana. She's performing in several cities as opening act for The Cheetah Girls — a made-by-Disney tween-targeted girl group — on their 40-city tour. She rode a celebrity float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade before returning to Los Angeles to start production on the series' second season.