The Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again trailer keeps it all in the family

If there’s one thing the beloved, Ben Stiller-led Night At The Museum franchise teaches, it’s that history doesn’t sleep. Nearly nine years after the last installment in the franchise premiered, Disney+ aims to reawaken and revitalize the story with an animated sequel directed by Matt Danner, Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again. A first trailer for the goofy new installment follows a brand new shenanigan-prone night watchman, Nick Daley, as he navigates the uniquely magical ins and outs of the American Museum of Natural History.

Like much of today’s most successful youths, Nick (voiced by Joshua Bassett) has nepotism on his side—his father has been the night watchman for years. In fact, Nick’s father selects him as a summer replacement for that reason exactly: since he’s family, he already knows that the museum has some unique ins and outs. Namely: an ancient tablet that brings everyone (and everything) to life after dark, including familiar franchise faces like Jedediah (Steve Zahn), Octavius (Jack Whitehall), and Sacagawea (Kieran Sequoia.)

The conflict of the film is all in the name. Unfortunately enough for the more mild-mannered museum residents, a maniacal ancient ruler named Kahmunrah escapes one night, with big plans to open a portal to the Egyptian underworld and free an Army of the Dead. When the historical shit hits the fan, the gangly, gawking Nick emerges as the only person who can stop Kamunrah and save the museum and its contents. A revitalization project never looked quite so dramatic!

Beyond its principal voice cast, the film also features the talents of Jamie Demetriou, Alice Isaaz, Gillian Jacobs, Thomas Lennon, Zachary Levi, Akmal Saleh, and Bowen Yang. Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again will be available for streaming on Disney+ starting December 9.