Starring names such as the accomplished Ben Stiller, the ever-charming Owen Wilson, and the late but great Robin Williams, the first in a live-action trilogy of movies for the Night At The Museum franchise released into theaters on December 22nd, 2006 much to the admiration of both children and adults alike.
With the spellbinding story initially revolving around a down-on-his-luck night guard who suddenly finds himself surrounded by statues and exhibits that come to life on a nightly basis at the Museum of Natural History, this expanding tale has evolved over the years with historic figures like General George A. Custer, Amelia Earhart and Sir Lancelot all joining the fray. With the third installment called Night At The Museum: Secret of the Tomb coming out just about 8 years ago to the day, Disney has decided to revitalize the series with a new Disney+ animated sequel called Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again.
Monitoring the Museum of Natural History
Disney+
Arriving at the streaming platform on December 9th, 2022, longtime fans will find the theatrical main character of Larry Daley deciding to hand off the position of night shift security guard to his son, Nick while he tends to the same position at a museum in Tokyo. The high school student is already very much used to and friendly with the buoyant characters that roam the museum walls like Teddy Roosevelt and Sacajawea. As one would expect, hijinks ensue when Nick is too scared from the eerie environment in the basement to lock the storage room door. This inevitably leads to Kahmunrah, who was the main antagonist from the 2009 sequel, to break free from his prison and steal the tablet that has the ultimate power of bringing everything that resides within the Museum of Natural History to life.
Besides the names that are already mentioned above, the most iconic historical characters to the Night At The Museum story are back in this unique 2d animated hit, including the mini-sized cowboy Jedediah and Roman general Octavius, voiced by Steve Zahn and Jack Whitehall, Attila The Hun expressed by Alexander Salamat, Joan of Arc who is brought to life by Alice Isaaz and Laaa, the classic Neanderthal who Zachary Levi portrays.
Zahn will be in the upcoming George & Tammy tv series as George Richey and Whitehall have starred in numerous movies such as Jungle Cruise and Clifford The Big Red Dog (with a sequel in the works). Alexander Salamat has been featured in tv series such as Elementary and Person of Interest. Ms. Isaaz has had a place in predominantly French releases such as Notre Dame and Driving Madeline. The most recognizable in mainstream Hollywood currently, Zachary Levi has brought the character of Shazam to life for the original movie as well as the upcoming sequel, Fury of the Gods.
With the production company 1492 Pictures stepping away for this fourth telling into the Night At The Museum world, Walt Disney Pictures is joined by 21 Laps Entertainment, Atomic Cartoons, and Alibaba Pictures. 21 Laps has had a hand in 2022’s Rosaline and the upcoming Free Guy Sequel. Atomic Cartoons, as the title implies, brings such features as Lego Avengers and Lego Star Wars to the small screen and Alibaba Pictures has invested in many different genres of film including 2018’s Mission Impossible: Fallout, 2019’s A Dog’s Journey, and the yet to be officially announced Steel Soldiers.
Night Guard Nick Against Egyptian God Ahkmenrah
Due to the creative and artistic freedom that comes with animated storytelling, Nick and his team of timeless museum heroes endlessly chase after Kahmunrah who plans on taking over the world with his new weapon, the Golden Tablet of Pharaoh Ahkmenrah. Not only do the two forces battle it out through the corridors of the many exhibits that the audience is already familiar with, but the pursuit also leads to the Metropolitan Art Museum where both parties end up magically being transported into different paintings. Eventually, Daley Jr. and his squad have to cross the river Nile and enter the Temple of Dendur where they have an inevitable but highly entertaining showdown with not only Kahmunrah but the God of Chaos named Suetekh or funnily enough, Seth, for short.
The audience will get to see Sacajawea fight off god-powered giant scorpions, Attila The Hun defend against a giant crocodile and the courageous Nick Daley fend off waves of Egyptian jackals summoned by none other than Kahmunrah himself. The adults who grew up with the live-action version of these characters will be delighted to see them finally immortalized in a faithful, colorful new entry and children will have a chance to be introduced to wacky but educational characters who will hopefully lead the small ones into learning more about this world’s exciting moments throughout history.
As this is a film that can be enjoyed by anyone at any age, take your family for a time-traveling ride through Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again, because just like the exhibits and statues, their imagination will surely come alive with the adventure that awaits them.
