Performer Li Weiling said he will play Nala in the Mandarin-version of the Lion King musical. [Photo/Agencies]

And Six Flags Entertainment Corporation will open a park on the mainland, its first outside North America in 2019.

Industry consultant Aecom forecasts that 59 more theme parks will open in China by 2020, serving 220 million park-goers annually.

That's roughly the current size of the entire US market. "After it has invested in training," said Darden's Weiss, Disney "might lose the talent to competitors".

Niu, the martial arts student turned pirate, said he's enjoying his crash course in show business, though his proud parents back in his home village in Henan province are a little puzzled by the career change. "In the village, we know characters like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but you don't really know that they belong to a company called Disney," he said. Shanghai Disney is all about changing that.