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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

FILM · 2009 · USA

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

14 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

  • Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian — production image

14 Interesting Facts About Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Interesting Facts (12)

  1. #001

    It was the first film shot at the Smithsonian Institution.

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  2. #002

    Before deciding to imitate Boris Karloff, Hank Azaria filmed test scenes as Kahmunrah (some of them on the DVD) in various accents, including an American Southern accent (from Alabama) and British Cockney.

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  3. #003

    (About 6 minutes) According to the director's commentary, Robin Williams did the hologram's robotic voice himself, including the fast-forward part.

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  4. #004

    They had to rebuild the entire New York museum lobby set because the original had been demolished after Night at the Museum (2006) finished production. From the director's commentary.

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  5. #005

    It was Caroll Spinney's last feature film.

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  6. #006

    The Tuskegee airmen thanked Amelia Earhart for breaking down racial and gender barriers and paving the way for them to fly. During World War II, the U.S. military was largely made up of Black personnel assigned to support jobs such as truck drivers, ammunition carriers and janitors. Starting in Tuskegee, Alabama, Black pilots were formed into all-Black units and sent overseas to fight in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. In 1943, the role of the Tuskegee airmen shifted to bomber escort. The Black pilots were so successful in this mission that bomber crews personally requested them for their missions.

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  7. #007

    Amy Adams hated having to wear the tight trousers her character wore because they showed her backside.

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  8. #008

    Hank Azaria modeled his voice and lisp on Boris Karloff's performance in the original The Mummy (1932). Karloff had a small but noticeable lisp.

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  9. #009

    A historical detail not mentioned in the film is that many of the taxidermy specimens displayed in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, including the lion standing on a pedestal in the Hall of Mammals, were shot by Teddy Roosevelt himself on his 1913 safari.

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  10. #010

    (About 1 hour 10 minutes in) The screenwriters play Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright.

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  11. #011

    In the original script, Kahmunrah explained that he probably killed his brother Ahkmenrah for the throne. This is probably also why Ahkmenrah is so young and Kahmunrah looks older.

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  12. #012

    Ed Helms appeared in Night at the Museum (2006), but his role was cut because of the length. Director Shawn Levy wrote the role of Ed, Larry Daley's assistant, specifically with Ed Helms in mind to save himself. From the director's commentary.

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Easter Eggs & References (1)

  1. #013

    (About 1 hour 30 minutes in) Near the end of the film, Larry and Jedediah realize that Amelia is flying in the wrong direction. Later, when Larry encounters a human-looking person, he asks for help reaching the miniature room because he is lost. This is a reference to Amelia Earhart's final flight, on which she disappeared with no known idea of where she and her navigator were.

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Deeper Meaning (1)

  1. #014

    Director Shawn Levy told an NPR reporter that after the Smithsonian Institution agreed to give the film its name, its curators were very helpful and willing to share information about the real-life figures portrayed in the film, but that Levy had more trouble with the intellectual property owners of the fictional characters depicted. For example, a LucasFilm employee came to the set to observe the Darth Vader cameo and tell the filmmakers what Vader would and would not do.

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Related pages

  • Owen Wilson — Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian comes up in the facts on that page

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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