Los Angeles ? The World Trade Center lives on in a handful of new films whose makers left intact their pre-Sept. 11 footage of the twin towers out of respect for the dead and defiance of the terrorists who destroyed the buildings.

In the weeks after Sept. 11, there was a rush to excise shots of the towers from such comedies as “Zoolander” and “Serendipity.” Studios felt the images would be too wrenching so soon after the terrorist attacks.

But other movies that came out late last year such as “Vanilla Sky” and “Sidewalks of New York” included shots of the trade center. As time passes, filmmakers say they sense audiences are better prepared to handle the sudden appearance of the vanished towers on screen.

“I think it’s like our memories of a loved one,” said director Sam Raimi, who left images of the trade center in his upcoming adaptation of “Spider-Man.” “Probably right after the death of someone we love, it’s sometimes hard to look at their pictures. Then later, there’s a need to look at them.”

A “Spider-Man” trailer that included images of the World Trade Center was quickly pulled last fall, and the action sequence depicted in that ad has been cut from the movie. But Raimi said it was important for him to leave the skyscrapers in other shots.

“I didn’t want to erase the image of the twin towers,” Raimi said. “They’re seen throughout the course of the movie, because we didn’t want the terrorists to win.”

Last weekend’s top box-office draw, “Changing Lanes,” included brief flashes of the trade center. “World Traveler,” a road-trip drama starring Billy Crudup and Julianne Moore that opens today, features a prominent skyline view of the trade center early on and a gorgeous nighttime view of the towers near the end.