Washington, Apr 2 : Director Peter Chelsom hails teen sensation Miley Cyrus as the new Judy Garland.

Chelsom, who directed Hannah Montana: The Movie, has compared the 16-year-old star's acting talent with screen legend Garland, insisting he was "blown away" the first time he saw the teen superstar.

In an interview to E! Online, he admits he saw Cyrus's potential long before they worked together - recalling an appearance on Oprah Winfrey''s talkshow, which left him speechless.

"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," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

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

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

"She was 15 for the whole making of the movie. Was Barbra doing that at 15? I don''t think so," he said. (ANI)