迪士尼小镇

This guide to Disneytown in Shanghai centers on the theatre built for the first-ever Mandarin production of the Lion King musical, and the opening-night gamble behind it. You'll hear how director Julie Taymor, known for the show's Broadway animal puppetry, decided a straight translation wasn't enough for a Chinese audience, and invented an entirely new character drawn from Chinese legend to share the stage with Simba. Backstage that night sat a nervous producer, Disney's own chairman, and retired basketball star Yao Ming, all watching to see if the invention would work.