Cirque du Soleil confirms the suspension of Drawn to Life previews at Disney Springs

Mar 17, 2020 in "Cirque du Soleil"

Posted: Tuesday March 17, 2020 4:42pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Cirque du Soleil has today confirmed the suspension to the start of preview performances of its new Disney Springs show - Drawn to Life.


The show as originally planned to begin on March 20. See the full release from Cirque du Soleil below:

In light of current events, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group announces today the temporary suspension of the start of preview performances of Drawn to Life at Disney Springs which was planned for March 20. This action follows the postponement of numerous Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group shows worldwide in recent days and takes into consideration the most current recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the escalation of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

From the very beginning of the new coronavirus outbreak, the Group took rigorous measures to protect its work teams and the public. Our priority has always been, and remains, the health and safety of our artists, our partners, our employees and our audiences. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation to determine when the show previews will start.

Customers who purchased tickets for an impacted performance will be contacted by their point of sale.

For updated information about all Cirque du Soleil shows, visit cirquedusoleil.com as well as our social media pages accessible via the buttons below.

If you have any questions about Cirque du Soleil resident shows, including Drawn to Life, please write to lasvegas.customerservice@cirquedusoleil.com.

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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.

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.