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1!!The first movie provides examples of:
2* AdaptationDisplacement: Before the film was made, there was actually a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_at_the_Museum picture book]] by Croatian artist Milan Trenc.
3* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: In the UK release, the end credits feature Music/{{McFly}}'s "Friday Night". And they even shot a music video for the song spoofing the movie. Music/AlanSilvestri's scores for the series are worth a listen as well.
4* EnsembleDarkHorse:
5** Jed and Octavius originally had minor roles in the first film, but after test screenings they proved so popular reshoots gave them a [[{{Pun}} larger presence]].
6** Ahkmenrah for being a gorgeous looking NiceGuy especially to Larry as well as for being snarky and hilarious and being played by Creator/RamiMalek (who is ethnically Egyptian).
7** Gus, the temperamental old night guard played by Creator/MickeyRooney, is considered the most popular of the three old night guards for his cranky attitude towards Larry and his [[TheNicknamer constant nicknaming]].
8** The Easter Island Head may be an immobile character, but he is also quite popular for his funny mannerisms and loud voice.
9* FountainOfMemes: All of Gus' nicknames for Larry (like "snackshack", "butterscotch", and "cupcake") are very quotable throughout the first movie.
10* HarsherInHindsight: The Teddy mannequin is based on the real ''Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt'' that stood outside the real American Museum of Natural History from 1940-2022. The reason the statue was removed was due to controversy in the midst of the George Floyd protests in 2020, since the Equestrian statue depicted Roosevelt on horseback with a shirtless Native American and African American on foot beside him. See HeartwarmingInHindsight below for the flip side of this story.
11* HeartwarmingInHindsight: The Teddy mannequin was based on a statue that was ''outside'' the real American Museum of Natural History, so had no real connection to the exhibits indoors. In 2012, a new memorial was created in the lobby of the museum, so that Theodore Roosevelt is inside with the other exhibits, like he was in the film.
12* HilariousInHindsight:
13** This isn't the last time where [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Pioneer Founders are having conflict against the Roman Legion]].
14** Patrick Gallagher played Attila the Hun who is mostly antagonistic to Larry in the first half of the film; 15 years later, he voiced Khotun Khan in VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima.
15** Creator/PaulRudd has a minor role as the stably-employed stepfather to the struggling protagonist's kid. Then in 2015, he made his Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse debut in ''Film/AntMan1'', where ''he'' plays the struggling protagonist dealing with his ''own'' kid's more stably-employed stepfather.
16** And speaking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a neanderthal ends up outside the museum during sunrise and disintegrates to dust. Looks like [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar Thanos]] [[MemeticMutation snapped him into dust]], too.
17** A night guard is forced to contend with the exhibits he is tasked with watching come to life, some of which try to attack him, and uncovers a plot from someone with an intimate history with the institute he now works at regarding what makes these characters come to life. [[Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.]]
18* HoYay: A lot of characters, but most noticeable with Jedediah and Octavius - lampshaded with a ShoutOut to ''Film/BrokebackMountain''.
19-->'''Jedediah:''' "I ain't quittin' you!"
20** In the sequel - no, they weren't ''really'' going to kiss, but yeah...
21** It didn't help when [[spoiler:the sand in the hourglass was suffocating Jedidiah, and he was trying to tell Octavius about how their relationship progressed "from enemies to friends and some stuff that will make you cry."]] Subtle.
22** Octavius' "[[Literature/TheLastOfTheMohicans Just stay alive!]] IWillFindYou!" before running to get help for Jedediah.
23--->'''Steve Coogan:''' ''(who plays Octavius)'' There was a certain kind of subtext, what those of a discerning view might read as a subtle homoerotic subtext. If those people read that into it I certainly wouldn't argue with it... Yes, Octavius has a certain fascination with Jedediah because, of course, he wouldn't meet people as irreverent as that in the world of the Roman Empire. I think people were a bit more formal in their behavior, so that slightly gauche, throwaway attitude that goes with being a cowboy fascinates Octavius, and he finds it quite alluring.
24** Another less than subtle thing about the hourglass, is that the entire scenario mirrors when Jasmine is trapped in an hourglass in Aladdin. Octavius frees Jed by breaking the glass just as Aladdin did, and the hole forms a heart we see as the head into battle.
25** Then in the third film, [[spoiler:when the tablet is corroding and the exhibits are dying, Jedidiah and Octavius attempt to die ''whilst HoldingHands''.]]
26* PortmanteauCoupleName: Fans like to refer to the Jedediah/Octavius ship as "Jedtavius".
27* QuestionableCasting: '''[[CrazyIsCool Theodore Roosevelt]]''' is played by ''Creator/RobinWilliams''? Hey, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it]] ''[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools worked]]''.
28* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/RamiMalek, best known for his role as Elliot in ''Series/MrRobot'', plays Ahkmenrah. This trope became amplified even more after Malek played Music/FreddieMercury in ''Film/BohemianRhapsody'' and won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in that film. The comments section for [[https://youtu.be/iR93SDnjEp8 this video compilation]] of Ahk's scenes shows a few people living this trope out.
29
30!!The first sequel ''Battle of the Smithsonian'' provides examples of:
31* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The Jonas Brothers' "Come Fly With Me" in the end credits is a bop.
32* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Let's be honest, this movie is mostly remembered for Creator/AmyAdams' fine ass in PaintedOnPants as UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart.
33* CriticalDissonance: While not hated, the films elicited a ho-hum from critics while audiences loved them.
34* EnsembleDarkHorse: The sailor from V-J Day in Times Square is remembered fondly despite appearing for less than a minute solely because he was immediately willing to defend Larry after hearing he was from Brooklyn.
35* MemeticMutation: A few memes have come out of this movie at different points.
36** "Boom! Boom! [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Fiya powa!]]"[[note]]This quote by the Thinker was present in every trailer for the film, making it a very widespread joke.[[/note]]
37** Custer mispronouncing Sacagawea's name over and over.[[note]]As Custer tried to plan out an escape, he struggled to learn Sacagawea's name.[[/note]]
38** "We're Americans! We don't plan, We do!"[[note]]A boast spoken by General Custer, showing his pride in not thinking through stuff.[[/note]]
39** "That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it!"[[note]]The Bobblehead Einsteins quote KC and the Sunshine Band as they talk to Larry and Amelia about how they do things, which is another funny quote spoken in the film.[[/note]]
40** "ITT, bro? Intent To Touch?"[[note]]Creator/JonahHill's cameo as day guard Brandon sees him criticizing Larry for trying to touch the exhibits, which Larry exploits to steal his badge.[[/note]]
41** I am ______, and I have come BACK! TO LIFE![[note]][[BigBad Kahmunrah]] announcing his return is often replaced with other characters declaring they are alive again.[[/note]]
42** "It was shorter in Egyptian."[[note]]A remark made by Kahmunrah to Larry about his title "Kahmunrah the Bloodthirsty", a lengthy phrase in English, being shorter in the native Egyptian language.[[/note]]
43* NightmareFuel: The SceneryDissonance of the museum exhibits frozen mid-battle with Kahmunrah and his henchmen.
44* OneSceneWonder:
45** [[Series/SesameStreet Oscar the Grouch]] and [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]] in the scene where they're turned down by Kahmunrah.
46** Also Brundon.
47* PortmanteauCoupleName: Fans refer to the relationship between Larry Daley and UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart as "[=LarMelia=]".
48* RetroactiveRecognition:
49** Joey Motorola, the helpful sailor who Amelia and Larry run into in the picture of V-J Day in Times Square; after star turns in ''Film/{{Fanboys}}'', ''Film/TropicThunder'', ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' and ''Film/ShesOutOfMyLeague'', you probably know who Creator/JayBaruchel is by now.
50** Creator/JonBernthal as UsefulNotes/AlCapone, approximately one year before his StarMakingRole in ''Series/TheWalkingDead''.
51* StrangledByTheRedString: Larry and Amelia. Amelia screwed around with most of the other exhibits while Jedidiah's life was at stake while Larry looked like an idiot in comparison and everyone around the complex just said that they were a cute couple. Which is even weirder when you consider that Amelia is a ''mannequin''.
52* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
53** A lot of people have said that Brundon deserved more screen time. He could easily have been a {{Foil}} to Larry, taking roughly the [[NaiveNewcomer same role]] that the latter had in the first film.
54** A lot of people wished the security in general is more active as antagonists trying to arrest Larry and noticing the exhibits coming to life.
55* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: [[ScrewedByTheLawyers Copyright aside]], the movie would've been a hell of a lot funnier and awesome if the pop culture exhibits of the Smithsonian, aforementioned OneSceneWonder included, had been incorporated into the fun.
56
57!!The second sequel ''Secret of the Tomb'' provides examples of:
58* BaseBreakingCharacter: The nightguard played by Creator/RebelWilson is seen as either hilarious or plain annoying and ruining the movie, depending on who you ask.
59* HarsherInHindsight: Teddy losing the ability to properly move himself (due to his body becoming wax again), is eerily similar to Robin's diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (which he hadn't disclosed to the public, but was likely aware of during filming).
60* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Teddy Roosevelt saying goodbye to Larry is lent a ton of extra poignancy from being Robin Williams' last onscreen appearance.
61-->''Smile my boy; it's sunrise.''
62* HilariousInHindsight: One of the scenes in the film has Jedediah (played by Creator/OwenWilson) and Octavius running away from the Pompeii volcano diorama that has come to life. Years later, Owen Wilson would find himself in a similar situation in ''Series/Loki2021'', time-traveling with Loki to Pompeii just before the volcano erupts.
63* NightmareFuel: The Greco-Roman statues shambling around with missing limbs are quite frightening, as the scene seems to have been taken straight out of a zombie movie. So is [[spoiler:Ahkmenrah rapidly reverting into an undead human-mummy-zombie hybrid near the end.]]
64* OneSceneWonder: Creator/AliceEve and ''especially'' Creator/HughJackman as themselves.
65* TearJerker: The fact that this was among the final films of both Creator/MickeyRooney and Creator/RobinWilliams. Both actors received a dedication in the film proper.
66* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The Relativity fight sequence has a lot put into it for replicating the painting's DeliberateMonochrome appearance and the chaotic stairways within the painting, creating a very three-dimensional fight as [[spoiler:Larry and Teddy deal with Lancelot]].

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