Drawn to Life (Cirque du Soleil)

Last updated

Drawn to Life
Drawn to Life (Cirque du Soleil).jpg
Logo for Cirque du Soleil's Drawn to Life
Company Cirque du Soleil
Genre Contemporary circus
Show typeResident show
Date of premiereNovember 18, 2021
Location Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Creative team
Writer and Show DirectorMichel Laprise
Chief Creative Officer & Executive ProducerDiane Quinn
Music Composer Benoît Jutras
Costume DesignerPhilippe Guillotel
Set DesignerStephane Roy
ChoreographersKostiantyn Tomilchenko
Andrew Skeels
Lydia Bouchard
Lighting designerMartin Labrecque
Sound DesignerJonathan Deans
Make-up DesignerEleni Uranis
Other information
Preceded by' Before... (2019)
Replaced La Nouba
Official website

Drawn to Life is a Cirque du Soleil show at Disney Springs' West Side at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It is a contemporary circus performance featuring acrobats, gymnasts, and other skilled performers. A collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Walt Disney Imagineering, the show is inspired by Disney's animated film productions and the process of animation. [1] The show is performed in a custom-built, freestanding theater originally built for its predecessor La Nouba , which closed in 2017 after performing for 19 years. [2]

Contents

History

In March 2017 Cirque du Soleil and Disney announced that La Nouba would host its final performance on December 31, 2017. At that time, no plans for a new show were announced. [2] On December 18, 2017, Disney announced that Cirque du Soleil would produce a new show to replace La Nouba that would "draw its inspiration from Disney's heritage of animation", though no further information was given. [3] On August 26, 2019, tickets for the new production went on sale with preview performances to begin on March 20, 2020, and an official premiere date of April 17, 2020. The show was revealed to be about "a young girl and her father, who was a Disney animator" though the name of the show was not announced. [4] On December 10, 2019, the name of the new production was announced as Drawn to Life, along with the show's synopsis and creative team. [5]

On March 17, 2020, three days before the first scheduled performances, Cirque du Soleil announced that the opening of the show would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] On March 19, 2020, Cirque du Soleil announced it would lay off 95% of its staff worldwide due to the impacts of the pandemic. [7] In July 2020, with no new opening date announced, tickets were made available for purchase on the Cirque du Soleil website for performances beginning November 5, 2020. [8] In August 2020, performances through February 10, 2021 were removed from sale and ticketholders refunded. [9]

In an April 2021 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lemarre stated that Drawn to Life "should be able to open sometime in the fall". [10] On August 17, 2021, Disney announced that tickets would go on sale starting August 20 for performances beginning November 18, 2021. [11] The show had its first public performance on November 18, 2021, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration. [12]

Set and technical information

The theater housing Drawn to Life was the first freestanding permanent structure built for Cirque du Soleil, originally built for La Nouba . The theater was designed by Michel Crête, Michel Aubé of Scéno Plus, Walt Disney Imagineering, and the architects of the Rockwell Group of New York. The building incorporates elements of fabric and tension reminiscent of the form of a circus tent. [13]

Acts

The show contains the following acts: [14] [15]

Music

The music for Drawn to Life is composed by Benoît Jutras, who also composed the music for La Nouba . [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney World</span> Entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States

The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres, of which half has been used. The resort comprises four theme parks, two water parks, 31 themed resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping center Disney Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirque du Soleil</span> Canadian contemporary circus company

Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 June 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney's Animal Kingdom</span> Theme park at Walt Disney World

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the largest theme park in the world, covering 580 acres (230 ha). The park opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998, and was the fourth theme park built at the resort. The park is dedicated and themed around natural environment and animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney's Hollywood Studios</span> Theme park at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida

Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by Marty Sklar, Randy Bright, and Michael Eisner, the park opened on May 1, 1989, as the Disney-MGM Studios (Theme) Park, and was the third of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World. Spanning 135 acres (55 ha), the park is dedicated to the imagined worlds from film, television, music, and theatre, drawing inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Springs</span> Shopping mall in Florida, U.S.

Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando. It opened on March 22, 1975, and has been expanded and renamed over the years. In 2013, plans were announced for a three-year renovation and expansion, and on September 29, 2015, the name was officially changed to Disney Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Imagineering</span> Research and development unit of The Walt Disney Company

Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. The company also operates Disney Live Entertainment and The Muppets Studio and manages Disney's properties, from Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to New Amsterdam Theatre and Times Square Studios Ltd. in New York City. Founded by Walt Disney to oversee the production of Disneyland, it was originally known as Walt Disney, Inc. then WED Enterprises, from the initials meaning "Walter Elias Disney", the company co-founder's full name. Headquartered in Glendale, California, Imagineering is composed of "Imagineers", who are illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphic designers.

<i>La Nouba</i> Cirque du Soleil show

La Nouba was a Cirque du Soleil show that ran for 19 years in a custom-built, freestanding theater at Disney Springs' West Side at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was a contemporary circus performance featuring acrobats, gymnasts, and other skilled performers. The show's creation was directed by Franco Dragone, who also directed many of Cirque du Soleil's earlier shows. Its title derives from the French phrase faire la nouba, meaning "to party" or "to live it up".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Square (Magic Kingdom)</span> Area in Disney World in Florida, U.S.

Liberty Square is one of six "themed lands" and is exclusive to the Magic Kingdom, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Themed after colonial America, Liberty Square contains replicas of both the Liberty Bell and Liberty Tree. One of the most popular attractions in the Magic Kingdom, the Haunted Mansion, is located in this land. Presiding over the square is the Hall of Presidents, an American history show featuring an audio-animatronic figure of every President of the United States. Liberty Square has a long waterfront on the Rivers of America and the Liberty Belle steam paddleboat departs from a landing here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stitch's Great Escape!</span> Defunct attraction at the Magic Kingdom

Stitch's Great Escape! was a "theater-in-the-round" attraction based on Disney's Lilo & Stitch franchise. A non-canon prequel to the original 2002 film that detailed Stitch's "first" prison escape, it was located in the Tomorrowland area of Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, as the fourth attraction to occupy the building and theater space that was previously used for Flight to the Moon, Mission to Mars and the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, many of the animators who worked on Lilo & Stitch were directly involved with the attraction's development. The attraction, which struggled with a mixed reception from park guests during its existence, was the only major permanent attraction based on Lilo & Stitch to have operated in the United States; all other such major attractions since have been exclusive to non-American Disney Parks resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Rohde</span>

Joseph Rohde is the Experience Architect for Virgin Galactic. Rohde was previously a veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds Disney's theme parks and resort hotels. Rohde's formal title was Executive Designer and Vice President, Creative.

Benoît Jutras is a Canadian composer. Jutras is best known for his work with the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, first as music director and later as composer for several of the company's contemporary circus shows. Jutras' music often blends eclectic influences, including world beat, classical, rock, trip hop, and electronica. His scores for Cirque du Soleil shows include O, Mystère, Quidam, and La Nouba. His work outside Cirque du Soleil has included original soundtracks for Le Rêve, the Glow in the Park Parade, and The House of Dancing Water. He has also composed for film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France Pavilion at Epcot</span> Pavilion of World Showcase in Epcot

The France Pavilion is a French-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Its location is between the Morocco and United Kingdom pavilions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toy Story Mania!</span> Attraction type at Disney theme parks

Toy Story Midway Mania! is an interactive 4-D theme park attraction, located at three Disney theme parks: Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort and Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party</span> Annual Halloween-themed event

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is a separate-admission Halloween-themed event held annually during the months of August, September, and October at the Magic Kingdom theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando, and at Disneyland Paris Resort outside Paris, France. The party began as a response to the Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Florida. Disney's event caters to a traditional family atmosphere, whereas Universal's has more of a "fright-centered" event with their monsters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The American Idol Experience</span> Former theme park attraction at Disneys Hollywood Studios

The American Idol Experience was a theme park attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. Inspired by the popular American television series American Idol, the attraction invited park guests to audition in front of live audiences who would vote for their favorite singers.

<i>Rivers of Light</i> Former show at Disneys Animal Kingdom

Rivers of Light was a nighttime show at Disney's Animal Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort. Located in the park's Discovery River lagoon between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest, the show featured water fountains, mist screens, floating lanterns, fire effects, lasers, lights, fog, projection mapping, and until September 2018, live performers. Lakeside seating areas were able to accommodate 5,000 guests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington Lima (acrobat)</span> Brazilian artistic acrobat and performer (born 1979)

Wellington Lima is a Brazilian artistic acrobat and performer who currently works as a performer in the Michael Jackson ONE show at Cirque du Soleil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Trowbridge</span> American entertainment creator (born 1966)

Scott Trowbridge is an American entertainment creator currently serving as Portfolio Creative Executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, the design and production division for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products; a division of the Walt Disney Company. Before Disney, Trowbridge was active in film and theatre production, and held leadership roles within Universal Creative, the design and development arm of Universal Parks and Resorts. In 2007, Trowbridge left Universal to join Walt Disney Imagineering to lead Disney's Research & Development division and Blue Sky Creative Studio. In 2015, he started a new studio at Imagineering dedicated to developing Lucasfilm and Star Wars projects.

François Bergeron is a Canadian sound designer and co-founder of Thinkwell Group and was the former sound engineer for Cirque du Soleil for more than twenty years.

References

  1. ↑ "New Cirque du Soleil show at Disney Springs debuts: 'Drawn to Life'". FOX 35 Orlando. November 18, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Bevil, Dewayne; Palm, Matthew J. "Cirque du Soleil's 'La Nouba' to close at Disney". OrlandoSentinel.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ Palm, Matthew (December 18, 2017). "Cirque du Soleil's 'La Nouba' replacement will focus on Disney". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Palm, Matthew (August 29, 2019). "Cirque du Soleil at Disney World: Opening date and all we know". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  5. ↑ "DRAWN TO LIFE - New Cirque du Soleil production to open at Disney Springs in 2020". www.cirquedusoleil.com. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ Bevil, Dewayne (March 17, 2020). "Cirque du Soleil postpones 'Drawn to Life' previews at Disney Springs". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  7. ↑ Martin, Iain. "Cirque Du Soleil Lays Off 95% Of Staff Over Coronavirus Pandemic Shutdown". Forbes. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  8. ↑ Carter, Ashley (July 1, 2020). "Cirque du Soleil "Drawn to Life" Tickets Go on Sale". www.mynews13.com. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Cirque du Soleil's Drawn to Life at Disney Springs Opening Again Delayed". DAPS MAGIC. August 23, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  10. ↑ Fung, Lisa (April 21, 2021). "COVID pushed Cirque du Soleil into bankruptcy protection. Now for a Vegas comeback". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  11. ↑ Palm, Matthew (August 17, 2021). "Cirque du Soleil's new Disney show sets opening date". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  12. ↑ Meyer, Dan (November 24, 2021). "Watch Highlights and Check Out Photos From Drawn to Life by Cirque du Soleil and Disney". Playbill. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  13. ↑ "La Nouba Technical Story" (PDF). Cirque du Soleil (Press Material). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  14. ↑ Carter, Ashley. "Disney Shares First Look at Cirque du Soleil's "Drawn to Life"". www.mynews13.com. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  15. ↑ McReynolds, Landon (November 5, 2021). "Disney and Cirque's 'Drawn to Life' closer to debut; acts and gift shop revealed". WKMG. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.