Night at the Museum (franchise)

Films

In the first film, Larry Daley, a divorced father struggling to find work, takes a job as a night guard at the American Museum of Natural History. He discovers that an ancient spell causes the museum's exhibits to come to life. Three years later, several exhibits are transferred to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and Dexter the monkey steals the tablet of Ahkmenrah. Larry must break into the Smithsonian and team up with his old friends and new ally Amelia Earhart to retrieve the tablet from Ahkmenrah's resurrected evil older brother Kahmunrah before morning.

Five years after that, Larry learns that the tablet's magic is failing. He travels to the British Museum in London with his teenage son Nick, Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Jedediah, Octavius, Dexter, Attila the Hun, and a new caveman figure named Laaa, who resembles Larry. They seek help from Ahkmenrah's parents and the narcissistic Sir Lancelot of Camelot to undo the curse before the tablet's magic disappears.

The fourth film follows Nick Daley, Larry's teenage son, as he becomes the night watchman at the museum and discovers the exhibits come to life. Nick struggles with anxiety and self-doubt but must stop Kahmunrah, who has escaped his tomb and plans to unleash the Egyptian underworld with an undead army. Nick teams up with Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Attila the Hun, Laaa, and Joan of Arc to prevent Kahmunrah from opening a portal to the underworld. Thomas Lennon hinted that another film could be developed and expressed interest in a live-action film with Ben Stiller, adding that the animated film opens up new possibilities.

Did You Know?

• The video game adaptation was developed by Amaze Entertainment and Pipeworks Software.
• The stage musical adaptation is being worked on remotely through Zoom due to COVID.
• Alan Menken is lyricist and composer for the stage musical.