Editorial: Victorious opening

The breadth of information packed into the National World War II Museum was already impressive.

But with the opening today of a $50 million wing that includes a state-of-the art theater, replica canteen and cafe with a 1940s-inspired menu, visitors can actually feel what it was like to live through those trying times.

The centerpiece is "Beyond All Boundaries," a film on the war created for the museum and shown in high-tech glory at the Solomon Victory Theater. The theater is equipped with special effects that make the audience feel the rumble of war and the chill of snow.

The film, narrated by Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, is "a magnificent and moving spectacle that explodes onto the oversized screen," Times-Picayune critic Mike Scott writes today in his review.

The movie is a multi-sensory experience. A gun turret and concentration camp guard tower rise from the floor at pivotal moments. Snow falls from the ceiling during the Battle of the Bulge. The combination, he said, will stir "patriotic feelings and lodge lumps in the throats of viewers."

The experience is not grim, though -- far from it. The musical revue at the Stage Door Canteen is fun and will make you wish you could swing dance like the talented cast members.

The American Sector Restaurant next to the canteen is a John Besh project. This one features homey menu items like sloppy Joes that your mom might have made, although with a chef's skill.

There are too many people who deserve credit for this fascinating new space to name them all. But Nick Mueller, the museum's president and CEO, has done a masterful job of guiding the expansion.

The museum was a vibrant part of the city's tourist industry before Hurricane Katrina, drawing veterans and their families as well as many others. The fact that it is growing is a sign not only of its success but of our recovery.