The Night Before Easter

Larry Daley, an aspiring inventor, bounces between jobs and apartments in NYC. His ex-wife Erica is sympathetic, but believes he is a bad example to their ten-year-old Nick, who considers quitting ice hockey and plans to become a bond trader like Erica's fiancé Don. Larry fears Nick admires Don over him, especially as Don gets invited to his school's Career Day. Larry then arrives for an interview at the Museum of Natural History, where he meets the almost retired night security guard Cecil Fredericks. As the museum is rapidly losing money, Cecil and his colleagues Reginald and Gus are being replaced with one guard, and they hire Larry despite his resume. Cecil gives Larry a work duties instruction manual, warning him to "not let anything in... or out." On his first night, Larry soon falls asleep, and upon waking, he discovers the T-rex skeleton is missing. When he sees the T-rex is alive and chases him, he calls Cecil, who refers him to the instructions. Larry tames him by throwing a bone, then later names him "Rexy". After sunset, all of the exhibits come to life, including: Dexter, a mischievous stuffed capuchin monkey who destroys the instructions and later takes his keys; rival miniature civilizations depicting the American Frontier, Ancient Rome, and Ancient Maya; a chewing gum-loving Easter Island Moai who calls Larry "Dum-Dum"; American Civil War soldier mannequins; and wax models of Attila the Hun and his men, pyromaniacal Neanderthals, and Sacagawea. A horse-mounted Theodore Roosevelt rescues Larry from feuding miniature leaders Jedediah and Octavius. He explains that ever since the 1952 arrival of Egyptian Pharaoh Ahkmenrah’s Golden Tablet, the exhibits come to life each night. If they are outside at sunrise, they desintegrate. As they restore order, Larry sees Theodore loves Sacagawea but is too shy to tell her. The retirees check on Larry, who has decided to quit, but Nick and Don come to congratulate him, guilting him into staying. Cecil suggests he read up on history. Larry controls the exhibits better, but must extinguish a fire the Neanderthals' started. Meanwhile, Dexter steals Larry's keys again, unlocking a window, and a Neanderthal jumps out onto the street, seeing a group of indigents with a fire pit, and disintegrates in the sun. Nick witnesses museum director Dr. McPhee firing him over the damaged Neanderthal exhibit, though Larry convinces him to reconsider. McPhee gives Larry one last chance to prove himself. Rebecca Hutman, a museum guide and historian writing her dissertation on Sacagawea, believes Larry is mocking her when he reveals the museum's nighttime secret. Larry brings Nick to the museum to show him Rexy coming to life, but nothing happens. They catch the retirees stealing the tablet, who have deactivated it to prevent the exhibits' interference. Receiving enhanced vitality from the tablet, they are stealing it with other valuables to fund their retirement and frame Larry. Nick reactivates the tablet, so a chase ensues throughout the museum, until Cecil snatches it and locks Nick and Larry in the Egyptian room. Larry releases Ahkmenrah's mummy from his sarcophagus. The pharaoh removes his cloth wraps to reveal himself as a fully living human, and helps Larry and Nick escape. Finding the other exhibits fighting amongst themselves, Larry convinces them to help catch the guards and recover the tablet. Gus and Reginald are captured, while Cecil escapes in a Pony Express stagecoach. Theodore pushes Sacagawea out of Cecil's path and is sliced in half but survives, being "made of wax." Larry pursues Cecil into Central Park, regaining the tablet. Theodore bonds with Sacagawea as she repairs him. Rebecca sees the exhibits returning to the museum. Realizing Larry was telling the truth, he later introduces her to Sacagawea. Theodore is proud of Larry's work along with Nick. Larry laments that he could not save everyone, believing that Jedediah and Octavius were both killed, so is surprised upon their return. The next day, McPhee attempts to fire Larry after news reports about the night's strange events, such as The Neanderthals leaving cave paintings in the museum's subway station and Rexy's dinosaur tracks in Central Park, but the publicity boosts museum attendance. Larry is rehired, goes to Nick's school's next career day, and celebrates that night with a party, with Nick, Rebecca and the exhibits in attendance. In a post-credits scene, it is revealed that the former guards, rather than being turned in to the police by Larry, must work as museum janitors as punishment, so they clean up after the party.