Did you know? The Museum is in a new Tom Hanks movie that just became available on Netflix! The Denver Museum of Nature & Science — formerly known as the Denver Museum of Natural History — made a fun cameo appearance in the 2024 movie “Here,” a feature film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring the legendary “Forrest Gump” co-stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. And today is the first day "Here" is now available for streaming on Netflix.
“Here” is a drama film that was released in theaters in late 2024. The story is set in a single location going back from the time of the dinosaurs to its conversion into a family living room in the modern era. Exploring the passage of time, the film weaves together different moments in history, from the ancient prehistoric past through modern times in 2024, all unfolding within the same physical space.
A little over halfway through the movie, viewers are treated to a scene featuring a vintage Denver Museum of Natural History t-shirt. The shirt design that appears in the film was recreated based on a t-shirt that was actually sold in our gift shop in the 1970s! There are two scenes where one of the characters wears a shirt bearing name and logo of the Denver Musem of Natural History — our name before we became the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in 2000.
The scenes, which are set in the 1970s, revolve around a team of archaeologists who come to the house because they believe it was built on an important Native American site. One of the archaeology students is wearing the shirt while the team begins their investigation. The second scene shows the team returning with an artifact they unearthed in the backyard. The student is wearing the shirt in both scenes.
To get the t-shirt in the film, the film producers, through a designer in the costume department, made their request to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science Archives Department. Although the costume team originally hoped for a fossil-themed design, they ultimately chose the shirt featuring the Museum’s former logo based on "Grizzly’s Last Stand," the iconic bronze sculpture created in 1930 by artist Louis Paul Jonas.
Bronze statue "Grizzly's Last Stand" on the west side of the Museum with the West Atrium in the background. (Photo/ Rick Wicker)
“They were looking for a 1970s gift shop shirt,” said Digital Archivist Laura Uglean-Jackson. “I didn’t think we’d have anything, but to my surprise, we had photographs of several shirts from that decade. It was so fun to see the t-shirt not only show up in the movie but also earn the Museum a special thanks in the credits!”
The process of licensing a Denver Museum of Natural History t-shirt image for “Here” involved several steps. After receiving the request to license a t-shirt through our online form, Laura dug into the archives, finding a handful of options to share with one of the film’s costume designers. The options included a “groovy” tunic, shirts with Indigenous-inspired art and the bear shirt.
Once the film team decided on the bear shirt, they signed a licensing agreement, and Assistant Archivist for Digital Assets Allyce Farino, digitized the negatives to produce the highest-quality scan to share with the film team. The original photo of the t-shirt was black-and-white, so the producers chose the colors for the shirt that appeared in the film. Allyce, who has experience as a digital archivist in the television industry, noted:
“Collaborating on projects like this feels full circle for me. Seeing an archival piece I helped digitize come to life in a major film is such a unique thrill,” said Allyce.
We’re all very excited to see the Museum starring in a feature film alongside Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. Big thanks to everyone involved: These behind-the-scenes efforts are what keep our Museum history and story thriving in unexpected ways.
Now, if you have Netflix, go see "Here" and let us know if you can spot the shirt!