A look at the thrilling new acts joining Drawn to Life by Cirque du Soleil and Disney as part of ongoing show evolution

Apr 19, 2023 in "Cirque du Soleil"

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New acts join Cirque du Soleil Drawn to Life

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Posted: Wednesday April 19, 2023 7:52am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

After more than 650 performances in front of more than 600,000 guests, Drawn to Life by Cirque du Soleil and Disney has recently introduced two new thrilling acts, following a Cirque du Soleil tradition of regularly updating its shows.

We recently got a sneak peek at the new acts - watch the video below to see the thrilling acts on stage.

The first new addition to Drawn to Life is Icarian Games, paying tribute to Disney's animated forests – and the mysterious creatures that inhabit them – featuring a pair of Ethiopian artists performing acrobatic feats in which one lies on his or her back and uses his or her legs and feet to toss the other performer in the air.

Icarian Games act

The Icarian Games scene also features all-new live music performed by the show's band, featuring live vocals.

You can hear about the evolution of the show's cinematic music from Drawn to Life's bandleader Thomas Lipps in the video below.

The second new addition is the Aerial Hoop artists taking to the air, performing tricks during the "Dream of Colors" act, a tribute to the ink and paint animation artists, featuring dramatic colors "painted" by human trapeze artists on a suspended wheel.

The 'Dream of Colors' act at Drawn to Life

Aerial Hoop artists performing tricks during the 'Dream of Colors' act

The Aerial Hoop artists bring the action even closer to the audience as the trapeze artists perform overhead.

The 'Dream of Colors' act at Drawn to Life

The show's creative team is not done yet, and the team told us that more changes are coming in the months ahead.

The 'Dream of Colors' act at Drawn to Life

Drawn to Life debuted at Disney Springs on November 18, 2021, and features a blend of Disney magic and Cirque du Soleil artistry. The family-friendly show tells the story of the love between a father and a daughter, drawing inspiration from Walt Disney Animation Studios' 100-year heritage of storytelling. The show celebrates iconic Disney stories and characters through quintessential Cirque du Soleil acrobatic performances, live musical scores, and brand-new animation created by Disney Animation artists.

Tickets start at $85, with performances usually taking place Wednesday through Sunday, at 5:30pm and 8:00pm. On Sunday, showtimes are 1:30pm and 4:00pm. Visit Cirque du Soleil to buy tickets.

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TalkingHeadDec 21, 2023

Saw this over the weekend. Not as good as La Nouba but performers were entertaining and I felt like it was worth seeing at a discount. I think a more abstract storyline about the animation medium would’ve worked better for the Cirque style, but I guess that’s the deal when the show is a collaboration with Disney.

CompedDec 21, 2023

I'm always curious about the show before it that Disney created, some kind of strange original musical with a "mini-skirted Fairy Godmother". The Cirque show seemed to be an improvement somehow. Disney seemingly didn't mind keeping them around... We don't know how long the lease is for (if it's for the building or just rights to preform there), surely it had to have been extended over the years. Personally, what I've seen from various press bits hasn't wowed me - surely must be a reason why they seem to give away tickets in many British tour packages.

StitchonDec 21, 2023

Cirque du Soleil did go bankrupt during the pandemic. I don't know the specifics of their building (i'm assuming it's a ground lease situation) but Disney is known to have especially favorable lease agreements that more or less lock tenants into Disney's terms until their lease ends or Disney says otherwise. I know many Disney Springs leases also have kick-out clauses where if a tenant doesn't perform, they can be easily kicked out and replaced with someone else. I think if Disney wanted Cirque out or felt they could replace it with something better, they would have. I doubt much has changed (performance-wise) since La Nouba was in the building, since you'd think Drawn to Life would be a bigger draw by proxy of using the Disney IP.

HauntedMansionFLADec 21, 2023

Former Broadway show Blast. They used to perform at DCA 😉

CompedDec 21, 2023

I wonder what Disney would do with the space if Cirque gives up? Presumably they must have had a plan during the pandemic if Cirque had gone bankrupt... The level of sales they have, I'm fairly sure, isn't sustainable long term. Then again, I never heard people at the parks or Springs/Downtown Disney talking about seeing La Nouba either.

Cmdr_CrimsonDec 20, 2023

Maybe it's me but I felt that somewhere during a vacation to Florida that if you didn't at least hear this commercial while your out there it wasn't complete..Shame it doesn't play anymore tho..

AndyS2992Dec 20, 2023

The show sells so poorly they keep having to change it, which is good I suppose. It'll get there eventually.

SaucyBoyDec 20, 2023

I love that instead of just letting this show stagnant, they’ve been invested in adding more pizazz to the story. The act line up now looks wonderful! I hope to see it again on my next trip in March.

wdwmagicDec 20, 2023

Drawn to Life presented by Cirque du Soleil and Disney celebrates second anniversary with new finale act https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/cirque-du-soleil/news/20dec2023-drawn-to-life-presented-by-cirque-du-soleil-and-disney-celebrates-second-anniversary-with-new-finale-act.htm

brb1006Jul 13, 2023

Cirque Du Soleil's Official Youtube Channel just posted this short 2D animation of the main characters from "Drawn to Life" today.

CompedJun 27, 2023

Can't be good sign for their capacity then... Even at $59, I'd not take the chance personally.

ToTBellHopJun 26, 2023

There’s a new deal for summer. Tix as low as $59!

WondersOfLifeJun 06, 2023

I'm so glad I wasn't working pirates when that happened 😂

cranbizJun 05, 2023

You figured out my secret. 2 funny stories. The first one was when we went on Pirates. Our line had a large number of Pooh sized guests and they all ended up in our boat. Everything went well until the boat got stuck at the chase scene. Eventually the ride needed to be shut down and maintenance came to free the boat. We all got out, the boat was freed up and we all reboarded the boat. We then floated the rest of the ride but with the audio shut off. All the audio except the donkey braying. We keep in touch still and every call has at least one hee haw said in it. I (and them) never looked at Pirates the same way again. The second did involve Small World. We were on it and had just entered the goodbye room and the ride went down but the audio was never shut off. 45 minutes later the ride track restarts but I now know goodbye in many different languages. Yes, those friends never want to be on Small World again.