As Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has retired as Night Guard and found his
succesful career in his own business ("Glow in the Dark" product), there is a bad news from Natural History Museum (a place where Larry worked as Night Guard). The exhibit / statues in the museum will be removed and packed to the Smithsonian Institute as Federal archive.This policy came from the board of director of the Natural History museum. The exhibit will be replaced by virtual exhibit hologram, in order to attract more visitor. Hearing that shocking news, Larry promptly go to the Natural History museum to check with exhibit creature there, Jedediah (Owen Wilson), Teddy Rooselvelt (Robin Williams),Octavius (Steve Coogan), Dexter the Caphucin Monkey(Crystal the monkey) and other creature.They felt hopeless and thought Larry didn't care about them anymore since he is a success business man now. They fell very sad being abandoned and no one care about them anymore, including Larry. At late night Larry got called from Jedediah informed that the Pharoah Ahkmenrah tablet was stoled by Dexter, the Caphucin monkey, before they were packed to the Smithsonian Institute. Considering Smithsonian Institute is the largest storage of National and international history, including Egypt and World war history, Larry move fast to check the condition at the museum.With his son help, Larry succeded enter the museum by stealing ID Card from the museum guard. He sneak into the museum and found the tablet was hold by Dexter in the container along with other Natural History exhibit, surrounded by Kahmunrah and his troops, who intended to take the tablet,to be used for raising his army from the underworld. After Larry got the tablet from Dexter, suddenly all creature at the museum became alive, he found himself surrounded by Kahmunrah troops. He can escape once from Kah`munrah by help of General George Armstrong Custer (Bill Hader), and in his run he accompanied by Emilia Earhart (Amy Adams), the first woman who crossed
Atlantic ocean with airplane. In the moment, Kahmunrah recruited Al Capone (Jon Bernthal), Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat), and evil Russion emperor Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest) to catch Larry. Jedediah and Octavius sneak out of the container to help Larry, but Jedediah captured by Al Capone's man and brought to Kahmunrah. Larry and Emilia finally captured and the tablet was taken by Kahmunrah. But the tablet can not be used since Kahmunrah didn't know the combination. He force Larry to look for the combination before Sunrise.Larry and Emilia go to National air and space museum, to find out the combination for the tablet. As Kamrunrah's man look after them, they finally know the combination by asking Albert Einstein bobleheads and the answer is pi number. They go back to the museum after captured by Kahmunrah troops, and Kahmunrah already know the combination by asking also to Einstein boblehead. Kahmunrah finally succeded in opening the gate to the underworld and bring in his bird head troops from the underworld.Suddenly Abraham Lincoln statue get into the museum and help Larry and Emilia to fight against Kahmunrah. Larry and Abraham finally has succeeded in bring the Kahmunrah troops back to the underworld. Emilia flew Larry and the colleague back to the Natural History of Museum. After that night Larry decided to be Night Guard again at
Natural history Museum, and sell his business. Finally the
Natural History Museum are open again with the night opening, where all creature become alive. The museum is full of visitor again.
The moral of the story, the success is measured on how we love to do things, not on how much we got from what we do.