The Circus Using Holograms Instead of Live Animals

L’Écocirque features all the awe-inspiring acts that audiences have come to expect under the big top—aerialists walking a tight rope, a juggler deftly keeping multiple pins in motion, and a burly man displaying incredible feats of strength. What makes it distinct is the innovative way it includes wild animals, despite widespread bans on their use in the circus. The trick? Instead of live animals, l’Écocirque employs holograms.
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The French company’s “100% Humain” show, now on tour exclusively in France, showcases projected images of a lion, elephant, and even some beluga whales alongside its human performers, who are illuminated by a massive LED light display and accompanied by a live orchestra playing rock music. In one act, an aerial hoop performer is set against a backdrop of holographic planets that disappear to make way for a moon. “We didn’t want to simply make an animal-free show, we wanted a show with an extra something,” says co-founder André-Joseph Bouglione.

L’Écocirque—or the Ecocircus, in English—is the creation of a husband-wife team of animal trainers who hail from circus families. André-Joseph is the youngest grandson of Joseph Bouglione, a lion tamer who, together with his wife and seven children, took the 19th century Cirque d’Hiver in Paris from bankruptcy to national crown jewel after World War II. André-Joseph worked for 25 years as an animal trainer. His wife, Sandrine Bouglione, had a pet elephant as a child and spent a decade honing her animal-taming skills in the U.S. with her father, in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

But touring with animals has become taboo, after decades of activists’ campaigns that shed light on the suffering endured by creatures that would spend most of their lives in cages. France last year announced a ban on wild animals in circus shows, to take effect in 2023. It will join about two dozen other European countries that prohibit their use. In the U.S., Hawaii and New Jersey have banned the use of most wild animals, while California, Illinois, New York, and Rhode Island have some restrictions in place. Many U.S. cities have also imposed limitations.

Over time, André-Joseph and Sandrine Bouglione also became disturbed with the quality of life of their animal performers. Their breaking point came one night when one of their big cats was injured. “We were haunted by the way it looked at us before returning to the cage,” André-Joseph says. They decided to perform without animals and tested the concept with a small show in 2016, featuring just magicians and acrobats. The move prompted harassment from others in the circus industry and led to a rift with the rest of the Bouglione clan.

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