10 Magical, Historical, and Intriguing Circus Stories

I have always been in love with the true history of circuses and the imaginative stories told about them. Circuses are often viewed on a spectrum from a fun family activity to a grotesque, inescapable nightmare. With so much grey area in between, it makes sense that there have been so many portrayals of circuses in entertainment over the years. Here is a list of 10 vastly different circus perspectives realized through movies, TV, books, and video games.

1. Carnivale

This HBO series takes the battle between good and evil to a strange, shocking, and brilliant new level. It follows the life of Ben Hawkins, who is a runaway and finds himself as a crew member for a mysterious traveling carnival. He realizes that he still has certain healing powers that he believed to have disappeared years ago. Carnivale also follows a preacher who made not be a godly as he seems when he begins having visions of the apocalypse. This series only had a two-season run, but it’s definitely worth watching if you’re interested in a magically charged story of a carnival during the Dust Bowl.

2. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Both a book and a movie, Water for Elephants is a love story and a great representation of traveling circuses during the Great Depression. It follows the story of a young man named Jacob who runs away from life and veterinary school after a tragic accident and hops on a train that he learns houses a traveling circus. Jacobs gets signed onto the circus to tend to the animals and becomes very close with an elephant named Rosie. He also falls in love with one of the circus performers, Marlena, who happens to be married to the cruel ringmaster, August. The story is filled with research and true facts about circuses in the early 1930s.

3. Big Fish

Big Fish is also a novel and movie. The movie was directed by Tim Burton in 2003. This is the story of Edward Bloom, who is a man full of stories from his life that everyone loves, but his son refuses to believe. When Edward falls ill, his son William goes to visit him. Edward begins telling his life story, from visiting a witch’s home who shows him how he’s going to die through her glass eye, to joining the circus to learn the name of a girl he saw there and fell in love with.

This circus includes a ringmaster with a strange secret, played by Danny Devito, and a giant friend Edward met along his travels. Edward finally learns the name of the girl he loves after doing hard work at the circus for years in exchange for hints  — Sandra. As the stories continue in the “real world,” William wants to know why his father keeps “lying” to him about his life. But, after talking to others in his life and meeting them, he begins to realize his father’s stories may not be such tall tales after all.

4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This is a novel with an interesting perspective on circuses. Interestingly, it was originally written as a part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which happens in November and writers everywhere try (and many succeed) to write a novel. This book has become a hit since being published in 2011.

The story revolves around a circus that appears and disappears without notice and is only open at night. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, or The Circus of Dreams. It is filled with magical sideshows and black and white striped tents. Behind the scenes, two young magicians are engaged in a magical fight to the death that they cannot escape. Of course, they fall in love and do not want to fight each other. The story follows the competition that seems to have no end and the otherworldly circus that opens when the stars come out.

5. The Greatest Showman

This 2017 musical film starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and more! This movie tells the true story of P. T. Barnum and how his creative visions and passion turned into the modern circuses we now know. The music is amazing and the cast brings it to life. P. T. searches for people who are different to star in his show and attract audiences with their unique talents. This movie portrays the importance of acceptance and individuality and explains how Barnum’s show became “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

6. American Horror Story: Freak Show

While this season isn’t American Horror Story's best, it definitely has a lot to offer by way of creepy circus sideshows and killer clowns. It also shows the circus from the point of view of the “freaks.” This is the story of one of the last freak shows in America in the 1950s. The show offers a wide variety of elaborate and well-executed costumes from conjoined twin sisters to a lobster-handed boy. Freak Show explores the struggle of the show trying to stay afloat, a psychopathic man named Dandy who is obsessed with the freaks, and a serial killer clown named Twisty. Oh, and are also few people who want to kill the freaks and preserve their bodies for their museum. This show offers a very dark take on circuses and the people who work for them.

7. Sawdust and Tinsel

This is a 1953 Swedish rendition of the difficulties of circus life. While I wish the main female character, Anne, was seen as a powerful woman instead of a desperate one, Sawdust and Tinsel provides a look at the inescapability of circus life even when business isn’t going well. It also has a lot to say about the monotony of life and the consequences of decisions even ones made years ago. All of this is realized through elegant and artistic camera angles accompanied by classical tunes.

8. MirrorMask

MirrorMask is a bizarre children’s book turned into an equally weird movie from 2005. It begins with a young girl named Helena whose parents own a circus. She’s sick of the circus and gets into an argument with her mother, after which her mother falls ill and ends up in the hospital. That night, Helena “wakes up” in a miraculous new world full of weird little cat creatures and people with block faces. She finds out that a shadow version of herself is living in her world and behaving badly, so she needs to find her way back home. To do this, she must uncover something called the “mirrormask”  to return home and release the White Queen from her slumber. Does she find it and return home to her family’s circus? Does her mom recover? Watch and find out!

9. Contrast (Video Game)

This is a really cool, short video game available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and NVIDIA Shield. The game is about a little girl named Didi and her imaginary friend, Dawn, who is a film noir-esque acrobat who looks like she stepped out of a cabaret. Didi’s mother is a single mom because her father always has get-rich-quick schemes that never work and take him away from his family. Didi takes Dawn around to fix these schemes for her dad so he can come home.

In the second of three acts, her father’s scheme is to create a circus or “cirque.” Didi and Dawn have to solve puzzles in the different sideshows to make sure opening night goes smoothly. This includes repairing the carousel and becoming a puppet princess. With excellent graphics and an interesting story, this little tale is definitely worth playing!

10. Dumbo

This list would not be complete without this classic Disney movie, and the live-action one that came out in 2019. This movie is about a baby elephant who is part of a circus and was born with extremely large ears. Everyone makes fun of him, including kids attending the show. When his ears cause a catastrophe at the circus, Dumbo has to dress like the clown everyone thinks he is. Then, he discovers his giant ears allow him to fly and this talent leaves everyone who made fun of him before dazzled.