The Timekeeper - Aftermath and The Effects of September 11, 2001

Aftermath and The Effects of September 11, 2001

See also: List of audiovisual entertainment affected by the September 11 attacks#Theme parks

After being placed on a seasonal schedule in April 2001, The Timekeeper at Walt Disney World was open on a sporadic schedule during the busy seasons. Some attribute it to the following criticisms, which the overseas versions of the attraction had not been faced with:

• Obese or elderly guests may have found it hard to stand or strainful on the eyes
• The lack of familiar Disney characters
• The building's entrance was very inconspicuous and did not feature a large rotating globe icon or full title.

After the events of September 11, 2001, the attraction faced even harder times. With a decrease in tourism due to the terrorist acts in the United States, and the fact the film featured a scene of New York that still included the now-destroyed World Trade Center Towers, the attraction's demise was certain. To preserve the memory of those events, The Timekeeper′s clock registered the current year as 2000, placing him in a time prior to the attacks.

However, it managed to last five more years. During the time when construction was occurring on Stitch's Great Escape!, it was open more frequently along with Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. On days when the show was not opened, the queue was a meet-and-greet for Disney characters such as Stitch and Pixar characters Buzz Lightyear, and Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and Frozone from The Incredibles.

Until December 2005, The Timekeeper in Walt Disney World Resort was the last Timekeeper still entertaining guests, as the Tokyo Disneyland version closed in 2002 and was replaced with Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters in 2004, and the Disneyland Paris version closed in 2004 and was replaced by Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast in 2006, although the Disneyland Paris version closed mainly because it lost its sponsor, Renault.

In early 2007, the former location of The Timekeeper became home to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. The attraction building still retains most of the elements of the previous tenant, including the water columns in the queue and the basic Circle-Vision theater. However, the Theater floor has been modified to include seating and several of the screens are now covered by other elements. The building, theoretically, is still able to revert to a Circle-Vision Theater, although the likelihood of this occurring is low.