Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again: Release Date, Cast, And More For The Animated Disney+ Sequel

Few expected that Shawn Levy would strike franchise gold in 2006 when the first "Night at the Museum" was released, but the film based on the 1993 children's book of the same name by Croatian illustrator Milan Trenc has since spawned two sequels, inspired a never-made theme park ride, and even got the LEGO treatment in 2020. The original film centered on Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), a divorced father who finds a job at the American Museum of Natural History as a night guard. What appears to be an easy job of keeping an eye on a bunch of fossils and artifacts turns into the adventure of a lifetime after he discovers an ancient spell has caused the exhibits of the museum to come to life. 

After the Fox-Disney merger, at-the-time CEO Bob Iger announced a new "Night at the Museum" animated feature, and now we're finally going to see the final product. It's a full-circle moment for the franchise, as the animated film brings the story back to its illustrative roots. Here's everything you need to know about "Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again" and more.

"Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again" will be available for streaming on Disney+ starting Friday, December 9, 2022. This marks a roughly 2-year turnaround from announcement to release. The film will be against much of the holiday fare offered on the Disney+ platform, including another legacy return, "The Santa Clauses." 

"Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again" sees Larry's son, Nick Daley, following in his father's footsteps by taking over as the night watchman at the American Museum of Natural History. Nick is hesitant about filling such big shoes but has an advantage over dear ol' dad as he already knows what happens at the museum after hours. Unfortunately, when the dangerous Kahmunrah, the main antagonist of "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" escapes, it is up to Nick to save the museum once and for all.

In an interview with Collider, producer Shawn Levy explained that the new animated feature is related to the trilogy, but very much its own film. "Production and animation is a very different process [...] I am very actively in hands-on, producing that," he said. At the time of the interview, Levy had seen two of the film's three acts in animation form, describing it as "somehow its own thing, but very, very loyal to the legacy of those characters in that title."

None of the original cast members of the "Night at the Museum" trilogy have been announced as returning, but the voice cast nonetheless is still pretty spectacular. The animated feature's voice cast includes Joshua Bassett ("High School Musical: The Musical: The Series") as Nick Daley, Joseph Kamal ("NCIS") as Kahmunrah, Steve Zahn ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid") as Jedediah, Jack Whitehall ("Bad Education") as Octavius, Kieran Sequoia ("iZombie") as Sacagawea, Alice Isaaz ("The Gilded Cage") as Joan of Arc, Zachary Levi ("Shazam!") as Larry, Gillian Jacobs ("Community") as Erica, Jamie Demetriou ("Stath Lets Flats") as Dr. McPhee, and decorated comedian and "Night at the Museum" co-writer, Thomas Lennon, as Teddy.

"Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again" is being made by Shawn Levy's production company 21 Laps and is being helmed by director Matt Danner. The script comes from Ray DeLaurentis and William Schifrin, and is an adaption Milan Trenc's books.