The Timekeeper
Encyclopedia
The Timekeeper was a 1992
Circle-Vision 360°
film that was presented at three Disney parks around the world. It was the first Circle-Vision show that was arranged and filmed with an actual plot and not just visions of landscapes, and the first to utilize Audio-Animatronics
. The film features a cast of European film actors of France, Italy, Belgium, Russia and England. The film was shown in highly stylized circular theaters, and featured historic and futuristic details both on the interior and exterior.
The Timekeeper and its original European counterpart Le Visionarium marked the first time that the Circle-Vision film process was used to deliver a narrative story line. This required a concept to explain the unusual visual characteristics of the Theater, hence the character 9-Eyes. 9-Eyes is sent through Time by The Timekeeper, so that she can send back the surrounding images as she records them in whichever era she finds herself in.
The European attraction was also known by its film name as Un Voyage à Travers le Temps, while the Japanese version was simply named "Visionarium", with the caption From Time to Time on the poster. The American Film Theater was known as "Transportarium" for a period of six months after it debuted, but the name was later dropped in lieu of "Tomorrowland Metropolis Science Center", or formally "The Timekeeper".
The original concept for the film had included Jules Verne and the culture of past and present European history and events, and new inventions. Along with the previous elements, the story had to do with the idea of Time Travel with one concept including a child that explored the story of the great European scientists of the past on an intelligent computer. However, to keep the audience focused and use imagination to depict situations and places that do not cater to the average person, the number of visions of the past and extreme situations of the plot kept increasing all the time for the project.
The film first premiered in Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris
on April 12, 1992 as Le Visionarium. It was an extravagant attraction, and was touted by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner
as the showcase attraction of the land at the time. However, TIME Magazine derided the film as a "flop" of a "wan drama" in its review of Disneyland Paris. The next year, the third incarnation of the ride opened at Tokyo Disneyland
, as part of that park's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
The attraction had long been on the Discoveryland USA proposal for the Magic Kingdom
at the Walt Disney World Resort
. However, when financial difficulties arose because of the EuroDisney Project, this Discoveryland project was canceled. At one point, the attraction was to be extended into a restaurant featured next door to the attraction. The Plaza Pavilion was to receive a makeover as the "Astronomer's Club", where a stage would have featured actors portraying famed scientists such as Leonardo Da Vinci
, Isaac Newton
or Galileo, who would appear in the restaurant, and then be called back to the past by either 9-Eyes or Timekeeper.
However, the film was named From Time to Time and opened in the Magic Kingdom's Circle-Vision Theater, rechristened "Transportarium" on November 21, 1994 as part of the New Tomorrowland expansion. Six months later, the attraction underwent some name changes. The Theater was renamed "Tomorrowland Metropolis Science Center", and the film was formally known as The Timekeeper.
In 2001, the attraction was moved to the seasonal list of attractions along with Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
. In February 2006, the Walt Disney World Resort reported that The Timekeeper was to be closed on February 26, 2006. Walt Disney World's version was the last version of the attraction to be closed. Both the Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris Visionarium films had closed in 2002 and 2004, respectively.
, Da Vinci's Flying Machine, or the first balloon ever created. A short movie about the history of Renault
making cars is shown (until this company dropped sponsorship in 2002). Guests are introduced to Timekeeper, who tells them they are about to join him in an experimentation by viewing his last and greatest invention : his extraordinary Machine to explore Time. Before he introduces it, he gives a short speech on how his Machine will change the world just as the ones that surround guests in the pre-show room. He even delivers a song about visionaries. After that, he introduces the crowd to "9-Eyes", and explains how she will travel through Time first, and let guests see this through her eyes.
, a real 1920s film projector
from Walt Disney Pictures
, and an actual copy of Verne's novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The film focuses on Verne and Wells, explaining how their work changed history. Then, 9-Eyes is introduced to guests.
, a flight into a barn full of dynamite
in Topeka, Kansas
, a swirling ride aboard a centrifugator, and lastly, hitching a ride on a space shuttle
.
period in Earth's history
. She narrowly escapes a hungry Allosaurus
as Timekeeper sends her to the last great ice age
about 12,000 years ago. As she starts freezing up, Timekeeper sends her to 1450, for what should be a demonstration of Johannes Gutenberg's Printing Press.
However, Timekeeper has yet again messed up and sent her to a Scottish battlefield in which one warrior comes after her. Finally working the kinks out of the Time Machine, Timekeeper sends 9-Eye to the year 1503, at the height of the Renaissance
. The Machine is placed right in the middle of Leonardo Da Vinci
's workshop, where he is painting the Mona Lisa
and working on a model of his Flying Machine. 9-Eye, being curious, picks up an item close to her, and is quickly noticed by Leonardo, who becomes fascinated by the strange machine, and starts drawing it on paper.
However, the meeting between 9-Eyes and Da Vinci is cut short. Her next stop in Time is 1763 in a French Castle, where a child named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
is giving a performance to a crowd, which includes King Louis XV
and Madame de Pompadour
. The meeting is again short as she is noticed by the people, who start chasing her through the hallways. Timekeeper decides to send her to the 1878 Exposition Universelle
, but the Machine is stuck on fast forward, so she witnesses a Paris skyline in such a motion that the progress of the Eiffel Tower, symbol of the 1889 Exposition Universelle
, is shown in the background. Finally Timekeeper has the Machine stopped in 1900, just in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle
.
Timekeeper announces that guests are in time for a meeting between H.G. Wells and Jules Verne
. 9-Eyes hides from the fair-goers but not so that Verne and Wells are hidden. After a brief conversation about their conflicting visions of the Future, Wells walks away, leaving Verne with a model of his Time Machine, which Verne has just criticized as impossible. After a sarcastic comment about Time Travel from Verne, 9-Eyes rebuts his claim and appears to the author. Jules Verne decides to take a closer look at her and tries to grab her. Timekeeper seeing this tries to bring her back to the present, but he also takes Verne.
Timekeeper and 9-Eyes, realizing their mistake, try to send him back, but he refuses after discovering he has finally arrived in the future he had always dreamed of. He begs for them to show him the world of today in 10 minutes or less, so he can return to 1900 and deliver his speech at the Exhibition (which makes Timekeeper ironically reply that he did it in 80 days). They agree, and Timekeeper sets the Machine for today. He sends Verne and 9-Eyes to a dark tunnel, which Verne believes to be a "dark future". They are unaware they are standing in a railroad tunnel. The next thing to happen is a collision between Jules Verne and a French TGV
train, with Verne becoming a new hood ornament.
From the train, Jules Verne and 9-Eyes explore the modern streets of Paris (with Verne walking among the traffic, nearly causing an accident), which leads Verne, curious, to try driving. As such, Timekeeper puts him in the front seat of a race car, and Verne takes off, albeit in the wrong direction. From race car driving, Verne then enjoys a bobsled run. After this bobsled run, Timekeeper sends Verne and 9-Eyes to the bottom of the sea, to show Verne how his novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
has come to life.
The scene changes and goes from underwater to flying. Jules Verne now stands in a balloon soaring over Red Square
in Moscow
, sharing it with a Russian couple on their honeymoon. Since Verne's presence is inconvenient, Timekeeper sends him to Roissy airport near Paris. The two Russian lovers are accidentally taken to Paris as well, where they could start their honeymoon. As Verne witnesses planes (the "flying wagons" as he calls them), he begs for Timekeeper to let him fly. An employee soon arrives, discovers 9-Eyes and start talking to her. However, Verne, who ventured far from there, is arrested by policemen. With the help of the employee and Timekeeper's grip on time, Verne is finally freed (these two scenes were not part of Orlando's version).
The screen then shows a flight through the air above the European countrysides featuring Castles and Mountains. Verne is shown in a helicopter
, sitting dangerously close to its open door. After flying over Mont St Michel, Neuschwanstein Castle, English countrysides and New York skyline (only in Orlando's version), Verne requests to go even higher. They take him to Space, in order to show that another dream of his, space travel, has come true from his book From the Earth to the Moon
.
Time is running out, so Timekeeper and 9-Eyes return Verne to the site of the Grand Palais
of the 1900 Exposition Universelle. However, Timekeeper makes one mistake in the wrong year, and Verne is in the right place, but at the wrong time (in the 1990s). When they finally return Verne to his right time, H.G. Wells happens to go back to the site of his discussion with Verne, and therefore sees all that is going on with the Timekeeper. Wells is flabbergasted, and Verne and 9-Eyes exchange goodbyes as Wells tries to understand what is happening. 9-Eyes returns to the present time, and now that guests have witnessed a "flawless" demonstration of his Time Machine, Timekeeper decides to see the Future.
Timekeeper sends 9-Eyes and selected guests to 2189, 300 years after the Exposition Universelle of 1889 and the completion of the Eiffel Tower
(both evidenced by the Timekeeper's clock, and by the appearance of the number "300" on the Eiffel Tower). As they explore a futuristic Paris aboard a flying car named Reinastella, they see Jules Verne and H.G. Wells appearing in what looks like Wells' Time Machine from 1900. A stunned 9-Eyes questions how they got there, to which Verne replies "In the future, anything is possible!". The show ends as they jet off, and Timekeeper wishes everyone well. As guests leave, Timekeeper makes plans to see other important events during History and in the Future with his Machine and 9-Eyes.
. The only addition in the American version was a New York City skyline scene. The hot air balloon scene was filmed over Red Square
in Moscow
, and as such taken under intense conditions by Walt Disney Productions in the then-Soviet Union
.
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.
in California
. The Timekeeper was to be a showcase attraction, along with ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
and Plectu's Fantastic Intergalactic Revue. One promotional brochure had Delta Air Lines
sponsoring the film. But these plans were later scrapped due to financial difficulties within the Parks & Resorts division, most stemming from the billion dollar losses incurred with the EuroDisney project. However, some clips of The Timekeeper could be seen in the queue for Rocket Rods
, which utilized the Circle-Vision 360° Theater.
Other information placed Visionarium as an opening-day attraction at the unbuilt park next to Disneyland, WestCOT
. The show would have been housed in a European Renaissance building in a European section of the WestCOT version of World Showcase. However, like the "Tomorrowland 2055" plan, this did not occur either.
Both the Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris versions featured guest-selectable translations on headset, which included :
Since both the European and Japanese versions opened before Orlando's version was created, the voicecast and dialogue are completely different. The American-style dialogue was not present in these versions, and it was a close translation of the French dialog.
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
Circle-Vision 360°
Circle-Vision 360°
Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique, refined by The Walt Disney Company, that uses nine cameras for nine huge screens arranged in a circle. The cameras are usually mounted on top of an automobile for scenes through cities and highways, while films such as The Timekeeper use a static camera and...
film that was presented at three Disney parks around the world. It was the first Circle-Vision show that was arranged and filmed with an actual plot and not just visions of landscapes, and the first to utilize Audio-Animatronics
Audio-Animatronics
Audio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. The robots move and make noise, generally in speech or song...
. The film features a cast of European film actors of France, Italy, Belgium, Russia and England. The film was shown in highly stylized circular theaters, and featured historic and futuristic details both on the interior and exterior.
The Timekeeper and its original European counterpart Le Visionarium marked the first time that the Circle-Vision film process was used to deliver a narrative story line. This required a concept to explain the unusual visual characteristics of the Theater, hence the character 9-Eyes. 9-Eyes is sent through Time by The Timekeeper, so that she can send back the surrounding images as she records them in whichever era she finds herself in.
The European attraction was also known by its film name as Un Voyage à Travers le Temps, while the Japanese version was simply named "Visionarium", with the caption From Time to Time on the poster. The American Film Theater was known as "Transportarium" for a period of six months after it debuted, but the name was later dropped in lieu of "Tomorrowland Metropolis Science Center", or formally "The Timekeeper".
History
Le Visionarium (the original title) was not just an ordinary Circle-Vision 360° film, but was important in that, for the first time in a Circle-Vision film, Imagineers wanted to tell an immersive story and attempt a light-hearted dialog without just switching between scenes of landscapes, as had been done in all of the previous Circle-Vision films.The original concept for the film had included Jules Verne and the culture of past and present European history and events, and new inventions. Along with the previous elements, the story had to do with the idea of Time Travel with one concept including a child that explored the story of the great European scientists of the past on an intelligent computer. However, to keep the audience focused and use imagination to depict situations and places that do not cater to the average person, the number of visions of the past and extreme situations of the plot kept increasing all the time for the project.
The film first premiered in Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Resort Paris
Disneyland Paris is a holiday and recreation resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. The complex is located from the centre of Paris and lies for the most part within the commune of Chessy, Seine-et-Marne....
on April 12, 1992 as Le Visionarium. It was an extravagant attraction, and was touted by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
as the showcase attraction of the land at the time. However, TIME Magazine derided the film as a "flop" of a "wan drama" in its review of Disneyland Paris. The next year, the third incarnation of the ride opened at Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland
is a 115 acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983...
, as part of that park's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
The attraction had long been on the Discoveryland USA proposal for the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
at the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
. However, when financial difficulties arose because of the EuroDisney Project, this Discoveryland project was canceled. At one point, the attraction was to be extended into a restaurant featured next door to the attraction. The Plaza Pavilion was to receive a makeover as the "Astronomer's Club", where a stage would have featured actors portraying famed scientists such as Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
, Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
or Galileo, who would appear in the restaurant, and then be called back to the past by either 9-Eyes or Timekeeper.
However, the film was named From Time to Time and opened in the Magic Kingdom's Circle-Vision Theater, rechristened "Transportarium" on November 21, 1994 as part of the New Tomorrowland expansion. Six months later, the attraction underwent some name changes. The Theater was renamed "Tomorrowland Metropolis Science Center", and the film was formally known as The Timekeeper.
In 2001, the attraction was moved to the seasonal list of attractions along with Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Carousel of Progress
The Carousel of Progress is an attraction located at the Magic Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort, currently operating under the name Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress...
. In February 2006, the Walt Disney World Resort reported that The Timekeeper was to be closed on February 26, 2006. Walt Disney World's version was the last version of the attraction to be closed. Both the Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris Visionarium films had closed in 2002 and 2004, respectively.
European pre-show
Guests are ushered into a dimly-lit library-like chamber, complete with several artifacts, such as models of Jules Verne's Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Albatross from The Clipper of the CloudsRobur the Conqueror
Robur the Conqueror is a science fiction novel by Jules Verne, published in 1886. It is also known as The Clipper of the Clouds. It has a sequel, The Master of the World, which was published in 1904.- Plot summary :...
, Da Vinci's Flying Machine, or the first balloon ever created. A short movie about the history of Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
making cars is shown (until this company dropped sponsorship in 2002). Guests are introduced to Timekeeper, who tells them they are about to join him in an experimentation by viewing his last and greatest invention : his extraordinary Machine to explore Time. Before he introduces it, he gives a short speech on how his Machine will change the world just as the ones that surround guests in the pre-show room. He even delivers a song about visionaries. After that, he introduces the crowd to "9-Eyes", and explains how she will travel through Time first, and let guests see this through her eyes.
Japanese pre-show
This pre-show scene is similar to the European version, however with some differences. First, the area is different. Instead of the dark circular enclave as in the Paris location, a bright open area is present. The wall that separates the building from the Tomorrowland corridor is a large stained-glass mural featuring 22 famous inventors and visionaries. Also featured is the Timekeeper's study, library and laboratory. The pre-show area also features a 20-foot model of Da Vinci's Heliocentric Solar System, the Nautilus from Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Albatross from Verne's The Clipper of the CloudsRobur the Conqueror
Robur the Conqueror is a science fiction novel by Jules Verne, published in 1886. It is also known as The Clipper of the Clouds. It has a sequel, The Master of the World, which was published in 1904.- Plot summary :...
, a real 1920s film projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
from Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, and an actual copy of Verne's novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The film focuses on Verne and Wells, explaining how their work changed history. Then, 9-Eyes is introduced to guests.
American pre-show
Before the actual show, guests are introduced to the invention of the show, "Circumvisual PhotoDroid", more frequently referred to as "9-Eye". The nine eyes she has represents the nine cameras used in filming the show in the round, thus showing the view from one of her "eyes" on each of the nine movie screens. She is the latest development by The Timekeeper, the inventor of the Time Machine. Guests are invited to be witnesses of the first use ever of the newly invented Machine. Guests also watch 9-Eye's training videos, which include : a plunge over Niagara FallsNiagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, a flight into a barn full of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, a swirling ride aboard a centrifugator, and lastly, hitching a ride on a space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
.
The Movie
After guests enter the Theater, Timekeeper comes to life and has 9-Eyes prepared for the journey through Time. Timekeeper then turns on the Machine for its first use, then watches from his control panel as 9-Eyes is thrust back to the Jurassic ageJurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
period in Earth's history
History of Earth
The history of the Earth describes the most important events and fundamental stages in the development of the planet Earth from its formation 4.578 billion years ago to the present day. Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to the understanding of the main events of the Earth's...
. She narrowly escapes a hungry Allosaurus
Allosaurus
Allosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...
as Timekeeper sends her to the last great ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
about 12,000 years ago. As she starts freezing up, Timekeeper sends her to 1450, for what should be a demonstration of Johannes Gutenberg's Printing Press.
However, Timekeeper has yet again messed up and sent her to a Scottish battlefield in which one warrior comes after her. Finally working the kinks out of the Time Machine, Timekeeper sends 9-Eye to the year 1503, at the height of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. The Machine is placed right in the middle of Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
's workshop, where he is painting the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
and working on a model of his Flying Machine. 9-Eye, being curious, picks up an item close to her, and is quickly noticed by Leonardo, who becomes fascinated by the strange machine, and starts drawing it on paper.
However, the meeting between 9-Eyes and Da Vinci is cut short. Her next stop in Time is 1763 in a French Castle, where a child named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
is giving a performance to a crowd, which includes King Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
and Madame de Pompadour
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
. The meeting is again short as she is noticed by the people, who start chasing her through the hallways. Timekeeper decides to send her to the 1878 Exposition Universelle
Exposition Universelle (1878)
The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May through to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.-Construction:...
, but the Machine is stuck on fast forward, so she witnesses a Paris skyline in such a motion that the progress of the Eiffel Tower, symbol of the 1889 Exposition Universelle
Exposition Universelle (1889)
The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
, is shown in the background. Finally Timekeeper has the Machine stopped in 1900, just in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
.
Timekeeper announces that guests are in time for a meeting between H.G. Wells and Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
. 9-Eyes hides from the fair-goers but not so that Verne and Wells are hidden. After a brief conversation about their conflicting visions of the Future, Wells walks away, leaving Verne with a model of his Time Machine, which Verne has just criticized as impossible. After a sarcastic comment about Time Travel from Verne, 9-Eyes rebuts his claim and appears to the author. Jules Verne decides to take a closer look at her and tries to grab her. Timekeeper seeing this tries to bring her back to the present, but he also takes Verne.
Timekeeper and 9-Eyes, realizing their mistake, try to send him back, but he refuses after discovering he has finally arrived in the future he had always dreamed of. He begs for them to show him the world of today in 10 minutes or less, so he can return to 1900 and deliver his speech at the Exhibition (which makes Timekeeper ironically reply that he did it in 80 days). They agree, and Timekeeper sets the Machine for today. He sends Verne and 9-Eyes to a dark tunnel, which Verne believes to be a "dark future". They are unaware they are standing in a railroad tunnel. The next thing to happen is a collision between Jules Verne and a French TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
train, with Verne becoming a new hood ornament.
From the train, Jules Verne and 9-Eyes explore the modern streets of Paris (with Verne walking among the traffic, nearly causing an accident), which leads Verne, curious, to try driving. As such, Timekeeper puts him in the front seat of a race car, and Verne takes off, albeit in the wrong direction. From race car driving, Verne then enjoys a bobsled run. After this bobsled run, Timekeeper sends Verne and 9-Eyes to the bottom of the sea, to show Verne how his novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax...
has come to life.
The scene changes and goes from underwater to flying. Jules Verne now stands in a balloon soaring over Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, sharing it with a Russian couple on their honeymoon. Since Verne's presence is inconvenient, Timekeeper sends him to Roissy airport near Paris. The two Russian lovers are accidentally taken to Paris as well, where they could start their honeymoon. As Verne witnesses planes (the "flying wagons" as he calls them), he begs for Timekeeper to let him fly. An employee soon arrives, discovers 9-Eyes and start talking to her. However, Verne, who ventured far from there, is arrested by policemen. With the help of the employee and Timekeeper's grip on time, Verne is finally freed (these two scenes were not part of Orlando's version).
The screen then shows a flight through the air above the European countrysides featuring Castles and Mountains. Verne is shown in a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, sitting dangerously close to its open door. After flying over Mont St Michel, Neuschwanstein Castle, English countrysides and New York skyline (only in Orlando's version), Verne requests to go even higher. They take him to Space, in order to show that another dream of his, space travel, has come true from his book From the Earth to the Moon
From the Earth to the Moon
From the Earth to the Moon is a humorous science fantasy novel by Jules Verne and is one of the earliest entries in that genre. It tells the story of the president of a post-American Civil War gun club in Baltimore, his rival, a Philadelphia maker of armor, and a Frenchman, who build an enormous...
.
Time is running out, so Timekeeper and 9-Eyes return Verne to the site of the Grand Palais
Grand Palais
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
of the 1900 Exposition Universelle. However, Timekeeper makes one mistake in the wrong year, and Verne is in the right place, but at the wrong time (in the 1990s). When they finally return Verne to his right time, H.G. Wells happens to go back to the site of his discussion with Verne, and therefore sees all that is going on with the Timekeeper. Wells is flabbergasted, and Verne and 9-Eyes exchange goodbyes as Wells tries to understand what is happening. 9-Eyes returns to the present time, and now that guests have witnessed a "flawless" demonstration of his Time Machine, Timekeeper decides to see the Future.
Timekeeper sends 9-Eyes and selected guests to 2189, 300 years after the Exposition Universelle of 1889 and the completion of the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
(both evidenced by the Timekeeper's clock, and by the appearance of the number "300" on the Eiffel Tower). As they explore a futuristic Paris aboard a flying car named Reinastella, they see Jules Verne and H.G. Wells appearing in what looks like Wells' Time Machine from 1900. A stunned 9-Eyes questions how they got there, to which Verne replies "In the future, anything is possible!". The show ends as they jet off, and Timekeeper wishes everyone well. As guests leave, Timekeeper makes plans to see other important events during History and in the Future with his Machine and 9-Eyes.
Voice cast
| Character | Voice actor (American) | Voice actor (French) | Voice actor (Japanese) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timekeeper | Robin Williams Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance... |
Michel Leeb | George Tokoro George Tokoro is the stage name of Japanese tarento, singer-songwriter, comedian, Master of Ceremonies, and essayist . Born in Tokorozawa, Saitama, he attended Takushoku University's Commercial Science class.-Works:*ALF - ALF... |
| 9-Eyes | Rhea Perlman | Myriam Boyer | Yuki Saito |
Film cast
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Jules Verne | Michel Piccoli |
| H.G. Wells | Jeremy Irons Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the... |
| Leonardo Da Vinci | Franco Nero Franco Nero Franco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the... |
| Mona Lisa | Anna Pernicci |
| Louis XV | Jean Rochefort Jean Rochefort Jean Rochefort is a French actor, with a career that has spanned over five decades.Rochefort was born in Paris, France. He was educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen He was 19 years old when he entered the Centre d'Art Dramatique de la rue Blanche. Later he joined the Conservatoire National... |
| Madame de Pompadour | Nathalie Baye Nathalie Baye Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye is a French film, television, and stage actress. After having dance and dramatic education, Baye began acting in 1970. She has appeared in more than 70 films. She won four César Awards for Sauve qui peut , Une étrange affaire , La Balance , and Le Petit Lieutenant... |
| Roissy Employee | Gérard Depardieu Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor... |
| Mr. Verne's Translator | Patrick Bauchau Patrick Bauchau Patrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau is a Belgian actor.-Early life:Bauchau was born in Brussels, the son of Mary , a Russian-born school administrator and publisher, and Henry Bauchau, a school administrator, publisher, writer, and psychoanalyst who served as an officer in the Belgian... |
Filming locations
- Alnwick CastleAlnwick CastleAlnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. It is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest, and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:Alnwick...
, Northumberland CountyNorthumberlandNorthumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Site of Scottish Battle scene
- Castello Orsini-OdescalchiCastello Orsini-OdescalchiCastello Orsini-Odescalchi is a castle in Bracciano, in the Province of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Bracciano. It was built in the 15th century, and combines the functions of a military defence structure and a civilian residence of the feudal lords of the period,...
, BraccianoBraccianoBracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, 30 km northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Set of Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop
- Château de ChantillyChâteau de ChantillyThe Château de Chantilly is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency...
, ChantillyChantilly, OiseChantilly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune in the department of Oise.It is in the metropolitan area of Paris 38.4 km...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Site of Mozart's performance before Louis XV
- Palm Pavilion, Schloss SchönbrunnSchönbrunn PalaceSchönbrunn Palace is a former imperial 1,441-room Rococo summer residence in Vienna, Austria. One of the most important cultural monuments in the country, since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna...
, HietzingHietzingHietzing is the 13th municipal District of Vienna . It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling...
, ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- Site for exterior shots for the Exposition Universelle of 1900
- RouffachRouffachRouffach is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Rouffach lies along the Alsatian wine route ....
, Haut-RhinHaut-RhinHaut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
, AlsaceAlsaceAlsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Location of the scene featuring the TGV
- ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Île-de-FranceÎle-de-France (région)Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
, Val-d'OiseVal-d'OiseVal-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Site for the location of Parisian traffic jam scene
- KnittelfeldKnittelfeldKnittelfeld is a city in Styria, Austria, located on the banks of the Mur river.The name of the town has become notorious for the Knittelfeld Putsch of September 7, 2002, a party meeting of the Freedom Party of Austria, which resulted in the 2002 Austrian elections.-External links:* *...
, Steiermark, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- The Renault Grand Prix Scene took place at the Österreichring
- Olympic Bobsleigh RunWinter Olympic GamesThe Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
, InnsbruckInnsbruck- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, TyrolTyrol (state)Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- Site for shots for the Bobsleigh Run
- Lyford CayLyford CayLyford Cay is a private gated community located on the western tip of New Providence Island, Bahamas. Considered one of the world's wealthiest and most exclusive neighborhoods, the Lyford Cay Club was built during the latter part of the 1950s by prominent Canadian businessman Edward Plunkett Taylor...
, New Providence IslandNew ProvidenceNew Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
, Commonwealth of The BahamasThe BahamasThe Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
, West Indies- Site of deep-sea dive scene
- Red SquareRed SquareRed Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
, Central Federal DistrictCentral Federal DistrictThe Central Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. The word "Central" is of political and historical meaning; geographically, the district is situated in the extreme west of Russia. The district spans an area of , with a population of 38,438,600 according to the 2010...
, MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russian FederationRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Location of hot air balloon from the European and Japanese versions
- Roissy-en-FranceRoissy-en-FranceRoissy-en-France is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France, in the Val d'Oise department. It is located from the center of Paris....
, Île-de-FranceÎle-de-France (région)Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
, Val-d'OiseVal-d'OiseVal-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Location of Charles de Gaulle Airport scene from the European and Japanese versions
- Mont Saint-MichelMont Saint-MichelMont Saint-Michel is a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France. It is located approximately one kilometre off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches...
, NormandyNormandyNormandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, MancheMancheManche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Fly over Mont Saint-Michel
- Neuschwanstein Castle, BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Fly over Neuschwanstein Castle
- CalaisCalaisCalais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, Pas-de-Calais, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Fly over the European coastline
- New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States of America- Fly over New York City from the American version
Film variations
The original European version of the film was different from the American version. A certain number of scenes were cut including the hot air balloon scene, some European coastline scenes, and a dialogue between Jules Verne and an employee of Paris' Charles de Gaulle International AirportCharles de Gaulle International Airport
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's largest airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
. The only addition in the American version was a New York City skyline scene. The hot air balloon scene was filmed over Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and as such taken under intense conditions by Walt Disney Productions in the then-Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
| European and Japanese scene order | American scene order |
|---|---|
| Jurassic Period | Same |
| Ice Age | Same |
| The Anglo-Scot Wars | Same |
| Da Vinci's Workshop | Same |
| Mozart's Concert in 1763) | Same |
| The Construction of the Eiffel Tower | Same |
| Exposition Universelle of 1900 | Same |
| Jules Verne in the present day | Same |
| Verne's Collision with TGV | Same |
| Traffic scene near Arc de Triumph | Same |
| Bobsled Run | Same |
| Deep-sea exploration scene | Same |
| Up in the air from Red Square | Omitted |
| Charles De Gaulle Airport | Omitted |
| Flying over European countriesides | Same, although Orlando's version goes from underwater to flying |
| Omitted | New York skyline |
| Outer Space | Same |
| Return to Paris, today | Same |
| Return to Paris in 1900) | Same |
| Paris in 2189 | Same |
| End | Same |
Aftermath and the effects of September 11, 2001
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
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
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!
Stitch's Great Escape!
Stitch's Great Escape! is a Tomorrowland attraction at the Magic Kingdom theme park within the Walt Disney World Resort. It is a "theater-in-the-round" experience starring the title alien from Walt Disney Pictures' 2002 animated comedy Lilo & Stitch. It opened November 16, 2004 and is the fourth...
, 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
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
characters Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear is a character and the main deuteragonist of the Toy Story franchise. Buzz is a space ranger action figure and the co-leader of Andy's Room. He has also appeared in the movie Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and the television series spin-off Buzz Lightyear of...
, and Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and Frozone from The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
.
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
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is an attraction within the Magic Kingdom, a theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on April 2, 2007 within the park's Tomorrowland section, where it replaced the Circle-Vision attraction The Timekeeper....
. 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.
Failed proposal for the Disneyland Resort
During the early 1990s, then Disney-Executive, Michael Eisner released ambitious plans for changes to the parks. "Tomorrowland 2055" was planned for a remake of Tomorrowland and the Disneyland ResortDisneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The Timekeeper was to be a showcase attraction, along with ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was a "theater-in-the-round" attraction in the Tomorrowland section of the Magic Kingdom themepark at Walt Disney World Resort...
and Plectu's Fantastic Intergalactic Revue. One promotional brochure had Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
sponsoring the film. But these plans were later scrapped due to financial difficulties within the Parks & Resorts division, most stemming from the billion dollar losses incurred with the EuroDisney project. However, some clips of The Timekeeper could be seen in the queue for Rocket Rods
Rocket Rods
Rocket Rods was an attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.-The Ride:Opening on May 22, 1998 as part of the New Tomorrowland, this high-speed attraction ran on the former PeopleMover track...
, which utilized the Circle-Vision 360° Theater.
Other information placed Visionarium as an opening-day attraction at the unbuilt park next to Disneyland, WestCOT
WestCOT
WestCOT was a planned theme park that was to have been built by The Walt Disney Company in Anaheim, California, United States. The park was intended to be a west coast version of EPCOT Center, a park devoted to international science and knowledge at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and was to...
. The show would have been housed in a European Renaissance building in a European section of the WestCOT version of World Showcase. However, like the "Tomorrowland 2055" plan, this did not occur either.
Technical aspects
- Film negative format (mm/video inches)
- 9 x 35 mm
- Cinematographic process
- Circle-Vision 360
- Printed film format
- 9 x 35 mm
- Aspect ratio
- 12.00 : 1
Audio dialogue
The three versions of the attraction featured a soundtrack of dialogue in each park's country's native tongue (French, Japanese, and English).Both the Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris versions featured guest-selectable translations on headset, which included :
- For Paris :
- English
- German
- Spanish
- Italian
- Nederlands
- For Tokyo :
- English
- Mandarin Chinese
Since both the European and Japanese versions opened before Orlando's version was created, the voicecast and dialogue are completely different. The American-style dialogue was not present in these versions, and it was a close translation of the French dialog.
Featured music
- While the American version received a different soundtrack from the other versions, they were both scored by Bruce BroughtonBruce BroughtonBruce Broughton is a film, video game, and television soundtrack composer who has composed several highly acclaimed soundtracks over his extensive career, including American music classics such as "Homeward Bound," "Silverado", "Tombstone," and wonderfully lyric music for "Miracle on 34th...
. - During the scene of the conversation between Verne and Wells at the Exposition Universelle, the song heard in the background is called EstudiantinaEstudiantinaThe Estudiantina waltz, or Band of Students Waltz is a musical arrangement, made in 1883, by Emile Waldteufel, which would be his Opus 191, No. 4. Its melody was composed earlier in 1881 by Paul Lacome, with lyrics by J. de Lau Lusignan....
, or Band of Students Waltz. It was composed in 1883 by Émile WaldteufelÉmile WaldteufelÉmile Waldteufel was a French composer of dance music.-Life:Émile Waldteufel was born in Strasbourg to a Jewish Alsatian family of musicians....
. - When Verne returns to the Exhibition building in the 1990s, "MotownphillyMotownphilly"Motownphilly" is Boyz II Men's 1991 debut single for their debut album Cooleyhighharmony. The single was a success peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael Bivins, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap on the song...
" by Boyz II MenBoyz II MenBoyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
can be heard in the background. It was meant to represent popular music at the time of filming. The song can be found on their 1991 debut album CooleyhighharmonyCooleyhighharmonyCooleyhighharmony is the 1991 debut album by Motown group Boyz II Men. Executive produced by Michael Bivins of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe, the album features the hit singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday", a G.C...
.
Foreign language titles
- French: Le Visionarium
- Japanese: ビジョナリアム - Visionarium
Renault's involvement with the film
The French automobile company Renault is heavily featured throughout the attraction, since it sponsored it in Europe between 1992 and 2002.- In the film :
- In the scene where Jules Verne steps off the curb into a busy street in front of the Arc de Triomphe, the car that almost hits him is a five-door hatchback, Renault ClioRenault ClioThe Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
, at the time of filming the newest model in Renault's fleet of cars. - In the Formula 1 scene, where Jules Verne drives a race car, he is seated and drives the Renault F1 vehicle.
- The flying car carrying a family in the scene of Paris in the future was imagined by Renault and is called a "Reinastella".
- In the scene where Jules Verne steps off the curb into a busy street in front of the Arc de Triomphe, the car that almost hits him is a five-door hatchback, Renault Clio
- In front of the building in Paris :
- A Reinastella model was displayed near the entrance, but it was removed in 2002, when Renault dropped sponsorship. However it remained in the final scene of the film. The prototype car was then seen around Europe in auto shows, most recently on display at Renault's showroom on the Champs-Élysées.
- When the prop sat outside the theater, a plaque beneath it read :
Blast into the Future by checking out the Renault Reinastella ! The Reinastella's futuristic design features a vocal command system that makes steering wheels and accelerators a thing of the past. With a cruising height that ranges from 15cm to 150m above surfaces, the Reinastella flies up to 300km/h. The next time you're traveling through time, stop into the 24th Century and test drive a Renault Reinastella !
Attraction history
- PatMagic - Le Visionarium History
- AllEars - The Timekeeper History
- Archive.org - Tokyo Disneyland Visionarium Informations
Editorials
Photos
- Disneyland Paris