Museum of the Moving Image

Museum of the Moving Image makes film and television a subject you can investigate rather than only watch. Cameras, costumes, puppets, sound and editing sit within the same visit, showing how many different decisions lie behind a finished scene. It is a particularly strong Queens choice for families or anyone interested in the craft of storytelling on screen.

Behind the Screen is the core exhibition. Historical cameras, projectors, television equipment and production objects give it the material side of a working industry. Costumes, set-design material and licensed objects show how a screen character or image can continue beyond the film itself. That variety makes the visit useful even when your interests are quite different from those of the person travelling with you.

The interactive elements make the subject immediate. Depending on the stations operating, visitors can explore stop-motion, voice dubbing, sound effects and the effect of music on a scene. The useful question becomes what changes when you change one component. A different soundtrack or a substituted voice can alter something that seemed fixed a moment before.

The Jim Henson Exhibition gives the museum another substantial centre. Puppets, sketches, scripts and behind-the-scenes material connect the work of builders, writers and performers across Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and Henson’s film projects. The on-screen puppetry activities bring the practical coordination behind those characters into the visit. Treat individual objects as part of a changing display rather than assuming every favourite puppet is always present.

A screening offers a different finish, but it is a dated programme with its own admission arrangements. Choose a film because you want that particular presentation and leave enough time to take a seat. The exhibitions can also make a complete visit without adding a screening.

Astoria opens up a food-led second part of the day. AbuQir and Bohemian Hall are the guide’s contrasting seafood and beer-garden choices, each reached by its own local journey. Neither should be treated as the museum café or an immediate next-door stop.