Ben.
Ben!
What?
What? What's the matter, huh?
Can't you hear me?
- Are you deaf? - Stop it, Robbie.
Go to sleep, boys.
Sorry, Mom.
Sorry, Aunt Jenny.
Shut up.
Hey, guess what. We forgot a present.
What's that?
Constellations.
Catch.
Ca... oh...
You really do live in a museum.
Why do you always look so sad, Benjamin Wilson?
Hmm. Neat.
It's like the one we saw on the trail.
Thanks, Mom.
Sure, handsome.
So?
Yes?
Was my dad an astronomer?
Maybe that's why I like outer space so much.
Makes sense.
Happy birthday, Mr. 12-Year-Old.
Don't stay up too long.
Mom?
Mom!
Geez... God, you scared me.
What are you doing out of bed?
Why won't you ever talk about him?
Other kids know their dads.
Not now, Ben. Go back to bed.
It's what I wished for, you know?
When I blew out the candles.
Another time, okay?
When it's the right time.
It's never the right time.
What does this mean?
What, Ben?
This quote.
"We are all in the gutter,
but some of us are looking at the stars."
You said it the night we saw the shooting stars,
and now it's on your wall.
Well, what do you think it means?
That's what you always say.
"We are all in the gutter,
but some of us are looking at the stars."
Mom.
Are you...?
- Ben! - Janet?
What are you doing here?
No, what are you doing here?
This isn't your house. Those aren't your clothes.
I shouldn't have turned the light on.
- Benji, I... - You smoke?!
No. I... I mean...
God, please don't tell my parents, they're gonna kill me.
I don't understand.
You're wearing my mom's clothes!
Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry.
I... I just... I needed somewhere.
This was supposed to be my secret place, I just need...
I can't look at you like that.
Oh, gosh.
A... are you okay?
Yes, I'm fine.
Sorry.
Are your parents gonna sell this house?
I heard them talking about it.
Why can't I just move back in?
- It's my house. - I know.
And Robbie's kind of a pest.
If I knew where my dad was, I could just...
Are you still having those nightmares?
Not...
Sometimes.
Come on, we should...
We should go home, probably.
- I am home. - I know, but...
You go.
I just want to stay here a little longer.
That's, that's really not a good idea.
There's supposed to be storms.
I won't tell your parents.
What?
That you were smoking.
Just let me stay a little longer.
You really won't tell? Seriously.
Yeah, I swear.
Oh, my God, then I completely owe you a favor, Benji.
For real.
We all miss her, you know.
Don't stay too long. Okay?
Oh. Oh, no, no, no, no.
Uhh!
"A curator's job is an important one,
"for it is the curator who decides
what belongs in the museum."
"In a way, anyone who collects things
in the privacy of his own home is a curator."
"But how did the very first curators
"store their collections?
"They were kept in pieces of furniture
"called Cabinets of Wonder.
"Eventually, some collections grew beyond the confines
"of a single cabinet and took over entire rooms.
See figure nine."
Oh, my God.
"Danny."
Danny.
"Kincaid Books.
West 81st Street, New York, New York."
Uh, K...
L...
5...
0...
1...
8...
...9.
I'm not getting anything.
Where am I?
What's wrong?
Hello?
I can't talk!
I can't... I can't talk!
"Sorry" is unacceptable,
and you need to get the police on the phone right now
and they need to be coming here!
And you have security that you can call
- that can close the doors! - I understand.
...departure of bus 23 for Detroit.
Buffalo and Albany at Gate 4 on the lower level.
4:20 a.m.
Attention, please, attention, please.
Northeast transit buses...
♪ Out on the street
♪ The summer heat
♪ Boys playing games
♪ Changing their names
♪ Pulling tricks
♪ Getting their kicks
♪ All the way down
♪ Let it ride
♪ Trying everything now
♪ Got to check it out
♪ Trying everything now, got to check it out
♪ Somebody said, you want a blow?
♪ Hmm, why not?
♪ I ain't got no place to go
♪ Meeting the stars
♪ In funky bars
♪ Shiny cars and backdoor lots
♪ Trying to hike
♪ For any other type of ride
♪ All the way down
Hey, I'll catch up with you later!
Hey! Stop!
Give that back!
Hey, taxi!
Yeah. Go through, go through, go through.
What you looking at?
- Ahh! - Watch it.
Sorry.
If you're looking for the bookstore,
it moved around the corner.
- ¿Qué pasa? - A few blocks down.
- On 74th. - Vamos, Jamie.
Llego tarde.
- I was just telling him. - Come on.
Hey.
Wait. Espera.
Okay.
Ahora.
Okay, Jamie. Entonces...
3:00 en punto en mi oficina. Okay?
- Sí, Papa. - No se meta en problemas.
- I don't want another call from security. - Okay.
Hey, kid!
Hey, that's mine.
"This meteorite fell to Earth
"thousands of years ago.
"It was brought to the museum in 1902.
"All meteorites begin their journeys to Earth
as shooting stars, burning across the night sky."
Mm-hmm, and look.
This is, like, the outside.
In the nighttime.
Anyway...
I thought you would like this one over here.
This one here.
Since you have it on your...
Over here.
Oh, my...
What's going on?
Are you... are you okay?
What's happening?
Are you sick?
Why did you stop here, in front of this?
Shh.
I thought you liked wolves.
You dropped it in the rotunda.
I can't hear you.
Why?
Because I'm deaf.
Really?
Oh.
That's... I thought you were ignoring me
when I was calling for you, and you didn't answer.
- Makes sense now. - Here.
Oh.
I didn't know you were deaf.
Me... Jamie.
Jamie.
I'm Ben.
Shh.
I learned it in school.
I don't know sign language.
Why?
I've only been deaf for...
Actually, it just happened.
How?
- Lightning. - Lightning?
I thought lightning kills you.
Oh.
Lightning... kills you.
Not always.
Being hit by lightning?
Uh-uh.
Oh. Not...
Sometimes.
Mostly it's just quiet.
See that lady over there?
What?
She's always here. It's so weird.
You... runaway?
Mm-hmm.
- From where? - What?
Where... are you from?
Really?
Shh.
Up here.
Shh.
Huh.
What is this place?
My secret room.
My secret... room.
- Hmm. - Mm-hmm.
You can stay here.
This can be...
your hideout.
Thanks.
So...
- why run... - "Why..."
- ...away? - "...run away?"
Oh.
Um...
My mom.
Oh.
Yeah.
Sorry.
What about your dad?
That's who I came here to find.
Are your parents... divorced?
No.
Mine are.
Hmm. Oh.
You know, I thought he might be here, but...
Oh.
I tried to tell you before.
Kincaid's...
isn't clo...
What?
...open now.
Yeah, obviously.
Hey, I didn't know you were deaf.
I didn't know you were looking for your father.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have...
What are you saying? Write it down.
Yeah. Sorry.
So, I still don't understand
how you... got here alone.
My cousin Janet helped me.
She owed me a favor, so she brought my bag
and some things,
with some money from my mother's
rainy-day fund.
So she... knows
where you are?
No.
No one knows where I am.
I do.
Oh...
I'm starving.
Oh.
Ta-da!
There you go.
Thank you.
- "A." - "A."
- "B." - "B."
"C."
- "D." - "D."
"E."
"F."
- "F." - Mm-hmm.
"G."
- "G." - Mm-hmm.
Mm... "H."
"I."
"J."
Mm...
"U."
Um... "V."
"V." "W"?
"W."
"X."
"Y."
"Z."
Mm-hmm.
Good.
Oh!
I almost forgot.
Huh.
Hmm. Remember her?
Mm.
My mom. Mi madre.
She works a lot.
We live in...
Queens.
Queens?
- Mm-hmm. - You don't live in New York?
Queens is in New York.
What?
- Forget it. - Oh.
And this.
Whoa.
I found it in my mom's room.
It's from here.
Except a long time ago.
It's where I found the bookmark from Kincaid's.
It's why I'm here.
Hey, you okay?
Sorry, I'm just really tired.
Well, take a nap.
Okay.
Hmm?
Ooh.
- Um, I'll be back later. - Thanks, Jamie.
Ben!
- Ben! - Ow.
Wake up! Come on, I told my father
- I was staying over at a friend's house... - What?
- So we have the whole museum to ourselves! - I can't hear you.
Follow me, come on, come on!
Shh. Come on.
Wow.
Hey, look.
- See? - Hmm.
The light goes through.
Neat.
Look at this.
Look.
This is cool. Ha.
Wow.
- Hey. - Hmm?
Check this out.
Hey, little guy.
Ben.
- Huh? - Ben.
Come on.
Let's go.
Jamie, what is all this stuff?
Shh.
Secrets.
Come on.
- Open it! - What?
Come on, the file.
- Hmm? - Open it up.
- The wolves. - Whoa.
That is so cool.
"February '65."
That's the year before I was born.
Whoa.
Yeah. Wow.
- Aurora. - Nice.
Hmm.
Look at this one.
What? What is it?
It's my house.
"Miss Elaine Wilson."
That's my mom.
"Dear Miss Wilson,
"I will be spending a few months in Gunflint Lake,
"researching a new diorama for the museum.
"As the town librarian,
"I hope you can help me with this research.
"Please contact me at the address above.
"Thank you very much,
Daniel Lobel."
Daniel Lobel.
This has to be my dad.
Your father, maybe he still remembers him.
You have to ask him in the morning.
Yeah. Yeah, I will.
"I've... never... shown...
"anyone... the museum...
...before."
Hmm.
- Hmm. - But I like it here.
I don't have a room at my dad's place.
Oh, hold on.
I think you'll like this.
Oh.
I forgot.
It's okay, keep it on.
My mom had one like this.
I can feel the vibrations.
♪ I...
♪ Don't want to know your name
♪ 'Cause you don't look the same
- "F." ♪ The way you did
- "R." ♪ Before
- "I." ♪ Okay, okay
- Hmm. ♪ You think you got a pretty face
"E."
"N."
Mm...
"D." "Friend." Cool.
♪ You looked all right before
♪ Fox on the run
♪ You scream
♪ And everybody comes a-running
♪ Take a run and hide...
Ahh!
Ben, Ben.
Ben.
Wake up!
Come on.
- What? - Look.
It's the same.
We're in the Cabinet of Wonders.
How did this happen?
Why did my father have this book?
Why was there a picture of my house
in that file?
What's going on?
What?
The bookstore? It's gone.
"I tried to tell you.
"It just moved.
"I didn't know...
you were deaf yet."
What do you mean?
You knew I was trying to find my father.
That's why I went to Kincaid's in the first place.
Why would you wait until now?
Because I don't have any friends.
What?
What?!
"I wanted...
"to show...
you stuff."
"I wanted to show you stuff"?
What does that mean?
- I was afraid if you found your father - What?
- He would take you away. - I can't hear you.
- And if you didn't find him, - I don't understand!
You'd just go back to Gunflint Lake.
I was going to tell you.
You were going to tell me?
Yes, I swear.
How long were you going to take?
I'm sorry, okay?
Please.
Just...
Yeah.
Well, if you wanted to be my friend,
you would've helped me find my father.
But... I'm helping you.
I'm helping you!
I'm helping you now!
I turn to the right
A little white light
Will lead you to my...
Blue heaven.
- I'll be right with you. - Hello?
I'm sorry,
she's a little high-strung first thing in the morning.
Hello?
You're scaring off the customers!
Hello, Kincaid's.
Yes, of course.
We have lots of Dickens.
Oh, yes, we have four or five copies, I believe.
Yup.
Um, yeah. We're open till 5:00.
Ask for me. Walter.
Hello. I... I didn't see you there.
Are you...
Did... did I wake you?
You can't hear?
I don't know sign language.
- You can hear? - Yes.
But she's deaf?
Yes.
I had an accident.
Recently.
That's why I can't hear.
You s... s... you scared us.
Are you okay?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Thanks.
I, uh, I just fell asleep for a second.
How do you know my name?
Did you know her?
I came here trying to find my father.
He's looking for his father.
Who are you?
How do you know my name?
I saw you
at... at the wolf diorama in the museum.
What is going on?
Tell me!
Where?
Come.
Whoa.
Wow.
What is this?
Where are we?
"I need you to be patient with this story and read it slowly.
"I've worked in the Queens Museum of Art for 15 years now,
"but the story I need to tell you
"begins a long time before that.
"When I was a little girl in 1927,
"I came to New York for the very first time.
"It was my brother, Walter, who finally rescued me.
"I found him at the Museum of Natural History,
"where he was working.
"I begged him to help me,
"to get me away from my mother and father.
"I wanted to stay in New York.
I, I wanted to learn things."
"The first thing Walter did
"was help me find a school for deaf children.
I didn't even know such a school existed."
"My parents divorced when I was young.
It was a big scandal back then because my mother was famous."
"It was there at school I met my Bill,
"who was training to be a printer.
"We married and, before we knew it, had a baby boy.
"Times as they were,
"everyone worried about us raising a hearing child,
"but our boy managed to handle
his lack of deafness just fine."
"Soon after I'd married, Walter helped me get a job
at the museum in the Exhibitions Department."
"I'd always loved making models, so it suited me well."
"I worked there for many years alongside my son."
"But soon
planning began for the 1964 World's Fair."
The Unisphere
would have to withstand
the ever-changing forces of nature,
as well as its own enormous weight.
"One of the attractions
"was going to be the panorama,
"a scale model of the entire city of New York,
"the largest architectural model ever built.
"It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up,
"so I left the Museum of Natural History
"to work on the panorama in Queens.
"Sadly, my Bill had passed away by then,
"so it was just my son and me.
"When the world's fair ended, the panorama was so popular,
"they decided to keep it open.
"But they needed someone to maintain the model,
so they hired me for the job."
"Around that time, our son was appointed
"the lead designer for a new diorama
"at the Museum of Natural History,
"the youngest person ever to have that honor.
"But you already know this part.
The job would send him up to Gunflint Lake."
Your son...
is Danny?
You're my grandmother.
Where is he?
I came all the way from Minnesota to find him.
Where is he?
"The librarian he'd contacted to help him with his research
"happened to own a small cabin,
and he rented it from her."
Miss Wilson, is that you?
Am I in the right place?
You are indeed, Mr. Lobel.
The cabin is right over there.
It's Danny.
Whoa!
I don't like the ice. I don't trust it.
Come on, Danny, it's not gonna break.
It's two feet thick.
- Don't you trust me? - I'm not sure right now.
"Dear Mom, the research is going well.
Very helpful staff, especially this librarian."
"Eventually, he completed
"the diorama of the wolves.
"I still go to visit it whenever I can.
It's the only one he got to make."
"Your dad was ill, Ben.
"He had a heart condition, the same one his father had.
"It kept him out of the war,
"but a few years after he returned from Gunflint Lake,
his heart..."
"This panorama is not just a model of New York City.
It's also the story of your father's life."
"When I took the job,
"I thought it would be fun
to secretly personalize the panorama."
"I hid little mementos from your father's life
inside the buildings."
We're gonna miss him.
There's nobody like him.
So, to Danny.
- To Danny. - Hear, hear.
"I knew everyone at Danny's funeral
"except for two people,
"a woman and a little boy.
"She introduced herself,
"and I recognized her name from Danny's letters.
"She told me she'd brought her son earlier
and showed him the diorama Danny had made."
I don't remember any of this.
That's why I dreamed of them.
The wolves.
I saw them.
What happened?
- Help. - Come.
Jamie?
Wait, how did you get here?
I followed you.
Wait.
I don't understand.
- What? - She's the lady from...
Oh, she...
This special radio red alert news report.
A major power blackout has hit New York City
and surrounding communities.
Well, George, there are individuals
directing traffic at the intersection.
Uh, I... I assume many of them are policemen.
Uh, some of them...
Oh.
My...
Friend.
♪ Ground Control to Major Tom
♪ Take your protein pills
♪ And put your helmet on
♪ Ten, nine, eight ♪ Ground Control to Major Tom
♪ Seven, six
♪ Commencing countdown, engines on ♪ Five, four
♪ Three, two
♪ Check ignition ♪ One
♪ And may God's love go with you ♪ Liftoff
♪ Ground Control to Major Tom
♪ You've really made the grade
♪ And the papers want to know
♪ Whose shirts you wear
♪ Now it's time to leave the capsule
♪ If you dare
♪ Ground Control to Major Tom
♪ Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
♪ Can you hear us, Major Tom?
♪ Can you hear?
♪ Am I floating in a tin can
♪ Far above the moon
♪ Planet Earth is blue
♪ And there's nothing I can do
♪ Though I'm past a hundred thousand miles
♪ I'm feeling very still
♪ And I think my spaceship knows
♪ Which way to go
♪ Tell my wife I love her very much
♪ She knows
♪ Ground Control to Major Tom
♪ Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
♪ Can you hear us, Major Tom?
♪ Can you hear?