bring someone (or an animal) back to life
and bring someone (or an animal) backto make someone or some living creature come back to life. There was nothing that would bring Jimmy's cat back. It was truly dead. Not even a magician could bring back the cat.
bring something back to life
Fig. to restore vitality to something, such as a performance, a story, etc. (See also bring someone or an animal back to life.) The third act of the play had a clever twist that brought the whole drama back to life.