Spoilers for previous Night at the Museum films are left unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again is a 2022 traditionally animated film and a spin-off/sequel of the Night at the Museum films. It is directed by Matt Danner, produced by original director Shawn Levy, animated by Atomic Cartoons, and stars Joshua Bassett, Zachary Levi, Jamie Demetriou, Gillian Jacobs, Bowen Yang, Steve Zahn, Jack Whitehall, and original screenwriter Thomas Lennon.
The film follows Nick Daley (Joshua Bassett), son of Larry Daley (Zachary Levi), as he takes over his father’s guard duties at the Museum of Natural History for the summer. However, when he forgets to lock a door in the basement, his father's old enemy, Kahmunrah (Joseph Kamal), returns from the underworld for revenge.
The film released on Disney+ on December 9, 2022.
Previews: Trailer
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again includes the following tropes:
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: As with the live-action films, Rexy is depicted with CGI.
- Artistic License – Music: Crossing over with Reality Is Unrealistic - the plot treats Nick's idea of having a DJ accompany a jazz band as something bizarre and novel, with him needing to learn the confidence to convince people despite it being dismissed as too weird to work. In reality, such set-ups are not particularly uncommon.
- Black Comedy: While the previous movies seldom touch on the historical characters' eventual fates, the trailer shows this movie taking more of an Epic Rap Battles of History approach.Laa: Fire burn!
Joan of Arc: (Thousand-Yard Stare) I know the feeling... - Breaking the Fourth Wall: Kahmunrah does this while running from Rexy.Nick Daley: Eat him, Rex. Eat him!
Kahmunrah: No, don't eat me! Or it will be a real short movie! - Call-Back: One of the things Kahmunrah swears to do as ruler of the world is to show up anyone who doubted him, including his father Merenkahre. While "daddy" doesn't physically appear like he does in the third film, he manifests in the form of reanimated illustrations and temple reliefs.
- Canon Immigrant: Joan of Arc, who originally appeared in the book Night of the Dragons.
- Character Action Title: Kahmunrah Rises Again
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Aside from a brief mention, Ahkmenrah is not present in the film, despite his brother and tablet being central to the plot, and his absence is never explained.
- Cutting the Knot: Done unintentionally. When Seth and Kahmunrah are about to enter the Temple of the Sun, Kahmunrah is preparing to solve likely difficult riddles to open the door. Seth, however, sneezes and accidentally discharges his Eye Beams, which blows a hole in the wall and allows them to enter the temple.
- Dance Party Ending: Similar to the first and third live-action installments, the ending to this animated entry has this with Nick as the DJ.
- Fluffy the Terrible: In the trailer, Nick initially doesn’t take Kahmunrah’s new sidekick, Seth, very seriously. Of course, Seth is a god of chaos and proves him wrong with laser eyes.
- Eye Beams: Seth, god of chaos, shows off the fire green bolts of lightning from his eyes.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: In the trailer, Dexter the Monkey slaps Nick as he panics over seeing Kahmunrah return.
- Generation Xerox: The focus of the film is on Nick Daley as he takes over the guard post for his father.
- Heh Heh, You Said "X": When Sacagawea informs the team that the room in the temple might be booby trapped, Laaa giggles and repeats booby.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The threat of Seth's eye blasts is diminished by him being a very poor shot, which he justifies when Kahmunrah complains as him being a god of chaos, not marksmanship.
- Midquel: Though it's somewhat ambiguous, the movie appears to take place between the second and third movies with Nick having not graduated yet and just starting on his DJ idea, and the tablet still being in New York instead of London.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Nick's final design◊ resembles his voice actor, Joshua Bassett. Early concept art showed Nick as closer to his appearance in the third movie (i.e. more like Skyler Gisondo).
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The diminutively sized Seth qualifies, as he's a god with all the power that implies.
- Power Glows: When Kahmunrah first animates a scorpion at a museum, it merely acts as an animatronic dud. Seth responds by giving it power. The scorpion's enhanced state is indicated by glowing green pinchers and a glowing green stinger.
- Reduced to Dust: For the first time since the first movie, the exhibits are at risk of turning to dust at sunrise if they cannot stop Kahmunrah and return to the museum in time. They almost do until Nick uses the tablet to turn a poster of the museum into a portal home.
- Seers: In the third act Joan starts expressing the divine visions she was historically known for, which Nick lampshades as something he forgot she was known for.
- Unexplained Recovery: While it is implied that Kahmunrah was banished to the underworld, as he was in Battle of the Smithsonian, it is never explained how he managed to return from the Underworld and get shipped to the Museum from Washington D.C., though it's hinted that he came as part of a visiting exhibit which highlights his role in the family as the treacherous brother.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When the animated exhibits ride the subway to get to the Metropolis Art Museum, the other commuters think they are cosplayers.
