After more than a year of waiting, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and Disney Parks have announced that Drawn to Life is scheduled to finally debut on November 18, 2021 at Walt Disney World.
The family-friendly show is a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering, and will take its residency under the white big top at Disney Springs.
Drawn to Life, written and directed by Michel Laprise with Fabrice Becker as Director of Creation, is a live acrobatic journey telling the story of Julie, a determined girl who discovers an unexpected gift left by her Disney animator father: an unfinished animation.
As she dives into the inner world of animation guided by a surprising pencil, Julie embarks on an inspiring quest filled with her childhood Disney memories.
The story is driven by 10 unique acrobatic acts alongside animation from beloved Disney films as well as all-new animation created by Disney artists led by Eric Goldberg, best known for characters such as the Genie in the animated classic, “Aladdin.” The show was also developed in partnership with Michael Jung, Executive Theatrical Development, Walt Disney Imagineering.
“We are so looking forward to unveil this beautiful, long-awaited creation to the public,” said Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group in the press release. “We were moments away from opening night in March of 2020 when performances were paused. Intermission is now over and we cannot wait for Cirque and Disney fans to experience the joy of this love letter to the art of Walt Disney animation.”
“Cirque’s world-class creative and production team worked closely with us, getting to know and understand every aspect of Disney,” added Natalie Woodward, Vice President of Production, Disney Live Entertainment. “Our incredible collaboration on Drawn to Life has created a show that celebrates Disney’s legacy in the art of animation in a unique and signature style that is pure Cirque du Soleil.”
Drawn to Life holds the distinction of being the 50th production created by Cirque du Soleil, and its premiere coincides with the 50th anniversary celebrations at Walt Disney World Resort.
Walt Disney World and Cirque du Soleil previously collaborated on La Nouba, which ran in the same venue at Disney Springs for 19 years before closing in December 2017.
TICKETS
Ticket prices start at $85 per person, and tickets will go on sale at 7am ET on Friday, August 20, 2021, at cirquedusoleil.com/drawntolife, for dates through December 31, 2022.
If you are a member of the free Club Cirque program, there will be four special member event nights on December 14 and 21, and January 4 and 18, 2022. For $149 per person, you’ll get center-stage seats, the chance to attend a post-show Q&A with artists and staff, and more.
Through December 18, there will be one show nightly at 5:30pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays. From December 21 on, there will be a second show each Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm.
The show will be dark on Sundays and Mondays. It also looks like it will be dark several dates in 2022: January 9-17, March 15, May 8-23, July 12, September 11-19, and November 8.