Cirque du Soleil’s 50th production, Drawn to Life celebrates Disney’s extraordinary legacy in the art of animation, from the earliest pencil sketches to the spellbinding spectacles of today. It marks the first-ever theatrical collaboration of three creative icons: Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering. Years in the making, the show resulted from extensive visits Cirque du Soleil teams made to Disney theme parks, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Research Library, Walt Disney Archives, and The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. “This show is a love letter to the art of animation,” says Michel Laprise, writer and show director. “And it’s just a pure joy for us to explore the richness and the authenticity and the audacity of Disney animation.”

Drawn to Life tells the story of Julie, a courageous and determined twelve- year-old, who shares a passion for Disney Animation with her artist father, who recently passed. She discovers an unexpected gift left by her late animator father: a letter urging her to complete a drawing he left unfinished. From his cluttered desk, Julie is suddenly whisked through a vortex into a world of wonder where comforts of her childhood have come alive and beloved Disney Animation characters serve as her guides. Throughout her quest to complete the animation, Julie learns to erase any self-doubt, to imagine new possibilities and to animate the story of her future. Moving into the distinctive circus tent building at Disney Springs, Drawn to Life blends the heart, humor and joy of Disney storytelling with new acrobatic performances and effects never seen before in a Cirque du Soleil production. Families will be transfixed as an animator’s desk becomes the stage and drawings of characters and objects come alive to fully immerse the audience in the world of animation.

“It’s a show about love. The love of a father for his daughter, who grew up with all the Disney characters, and the love of a craftsman for his craft. Julie will receive a message from her father who will tell her basically: now it’s up to you to take over, to create the illusion of life and find your own signature,” says Laprise. “What fascinates us is that moment when life appears in drawings. Just like in an acrobat’s body, the visceral physicality of animation. The way they perform, the way they create the illusion of life.”