A new Cirque du Soleil show is set to open next year at Disney Springs, part of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Drawn to Life is the product of a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering.

It tells the story of Julie, a girl who discovers an unfinished animation piece, left as an unexpected gift by her late father. Guided by a "surprising pencil", she goes on a quest sprinkled with Disney childhood memories, where she learns to imagine new possibilities and animate the story of her future.

The show will open for previews on 20 March 2020, and will officially premiere on 17 April 2020.

"In creating this show, we've brought to life an extraordinary new entertainment experience for the whole family," said Josh D'Amaro, president of Walt Disney World Resort. "It blends all the heart, humour and joy of Disney storytelling with dazzling new acrobatic performances and effects never before seen in a Cirque du Soleil production."

The result of years of research and collaboration between the teams, Drawn to Life will have an international cast of 65 artists and will run at the 1,580-spectator Cirque du Soleil theatre in Disney Springs five days a week.

"We had the chance to work with some of the animators that have worked on iconic Disney movies," said creative director Fabrice Becker. "You'll get to meet some of your favourite characters, but maybe in a very different way."

For 19 years, the La Nouba show by Cirque du Soleil, which closed at the end of 2017, was resident at Disney Springs (previously known as Downtown Disney).