Hannah Montana: The Movie director Peter Chelsom has compared Miley Cyrus to screen legend Judy Garland - insisting he was "blown away" the first time he saw the teen superstar.

The filmmaker is at the helm of Cyrus' first movie gig in the role of phenomenally popular kids' show heroine Hannah Montana.

And Chelsom admits he saw the 16-year-old's potential long before they worked together - recalling an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show which left him speechless.

He tells E! Online, "I was blown away. I just thought, you know there is no way this girl shouldn't be ranked with Shirley Temple or Judy Garland.

"I couldn't believe it. It was like watching an evening with Barbra Streisand."

And the filmmaker is adamant that Cyrus deserves to have her talent recognized - because she has reached such a high standard at such a young age.

He adds, "She was 15 for the whole making of the movie... was Barbra doing that at 15? I don't think so."

Hannah Montana: The Movie hits theaters in the U.S. in April.

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)