SplashJacket
Well-Known Member
A Shang-Chi Ta Lo land would work perfectly! In Hollywood Studios.Again, armchair imagineering concept here but something I suggested on our show: Shang Chi / Ta Lo attraction in the bamboo foothills of Everest and that area being re-districted to a Beastly Waterfront area.
This is the common response to every IP ever suggested for Animal Kingdom, but I don't mean it in the same way.
Hollywood Studio's hub is sorely lacking, but the Chinese theater facade is as beautiful as ever. I'd suggest demoing the entire Animation Courtyard and One Man's Dream building to build out an entire China town/Doctor Strange/Ta Lo land. The transition between the Chinese theater into this land does not require an explanation, but the themed facade could be expanded by adding a sit-down restaurant abut to the existing facade that has projectable surfaces fit for a hub show.
This initial vibrant, red-dominated, and strung lantern-filled area would transition into Toy Story Land, whose vibrant, red-dominated, and lantern-filled area would provide a much smoother transition than currently exists between it and Galaxy's Edge.
Further, into the land, you transition away from the concrete Chinese architecture to the whimsical but eastern Asian-inspired architecture of Ta Lo.
The color scheme and general aesthetic of Doctor Strange strongly resemble Shang-Chi, as exemplified by the color and geometry of their suits and powers. Doctor Strange and Shang-Chi cross paths in the end credits of the latter's origin story, suggesting a future collaboration between the two characters.
Additionally, Doctor Strange's Kamar-Taj was filmed on location in Nepal, establishing a precedent for Doctor Strange's visitations to Asia (I'm aware Ta Lo resides in an alternate realm).
In Doctor Strange, there are Sanctums in New York, London, and Hong Kong, so a Doctor Strange attraction could easily originate in Shang-Chi's Ta-Lo and then transport guests to one of his Sanctums. Imagine getting to walk through it during a queue and then board a wonderful adventure.
The new land could easily flow into a new Sunset Boulevard connection as in the unromanticized Los Angelos, a Chinatown actually does exist.
Doctor Strange and Shang-Chi are easily two of my favorite Marvel IPs. Their aesthetics are absolutely beautiful, and Shang-Chi's Ta Lo provides one of the more grounded locations in any of Marvel's films, lending better to a theme park attraction than other franchises. Also, Shang-Chi's score by Joel P West contends as an all-time great (personal opinion, but if you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend giving it a listen, especially "Xu Shang Chi," "Your Mother," "Your Father," and "Ancestors") so by grounding a land in its world, its music can be most heavily featured.
I know this will never come to fruition, but if I had free reign to spark a single project, this, above all else, would be it.
Last edited: