While Walt Disney World is still the 900 lb. gorilla of the theme park world, especially in Orlando, in recent years, Universal Orlando Resort has made some big moves, and based on the most recent attendance numbers, theme park guests seem to be appreciating it. Not only have we seen major new thrill rides added to the parks with attractions like the excellent Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and the Velocicoaster, but Universal is also adding more family-friendly experiences, like the new Minions Land.
The newest addition to Universal Studios Florida is a mini-land that is not only based on a property that both adults and kids love, but it’s done in a way that all of them will be able to find equal enjoyment in it. The new land’s major attraction is one of the most accessible we’ve seen in a long time, and that’s just part of what the new land has to offer.
Universal Orlando’s Minions Land Is Officially Open
The official grand opening date for Universal Studios Florida’s new Minions Land happened on Friday, August 11, though the main areas and Illumination's Villain-Con: Minion Blast attraction previewed for weeks in advance. This gave a lot of guests the chance to try out the experience early. (Of course they had thoughts about Minion Blast.)
Due to the ease of load on the ride, early wait times have also not been too intense. I just looked and the ride was at 45 minutes. That could change if families get excited about trying out new stuff on the ride multiple times.
Villain-Con: Minion Blast Is Not Your Average Dark Ride
As far as what Illuminations Villain-Con: Minion Blast actually is, the attraction takes place during the in-universe Villain-Con, with guests competing to join new baddies the Vicious 6. Those who step onto the attraction are given a blaster with which to shoot at targets, which translates to points, allowing guests to keep score and compete against their friends. It’s one of several shooting dark rides that can be found at theme parks, including Universal’s own Men In Black: Alien Attack.
However, there are a few things about Minion Blast that set it apart from its competitors. First and foremost, there’s no ride vehicle in Minion Blast. Instead, guests are asked to pick a dot on a moving walkway and hold blaster guns in their arms. They use that to take aim at the targets that are created using a combination of both practical props and screens. (Hint: shoot at anything villainous.)
This makes Minion Blast incredibly accessible, as the ride has no height requirement. Anybody who can stand and hold the blaster can use it. Even guests in wheelchairs can go on the attraction without having to get out of their chairs. This makes for quick and efficient load times as well.
Download The Universal Orlando App To Get The Most Out Of Minion Blast
At this point, saying that you need to be sure to download the right app before visiting a theme park should go without saying. Basically, every park has one, and if nothing else, they all do a decent job of keeping guests apprised of wait times on key attractions, which is a good enough reason to have it. But the Universal Orlando app does a lot more when it comes to Minion Blast.
So you download the app, you choose a username and character in the app, and then when pick up your blaster in the queue on the Villain Con Minion Blast, you touch the app to the blaster and it pairs, kind of like using Apple Pay. It's similar to how MarioKart: Bowser’s Challenge works at Universal Studios Hollywood. This way it is also able to keep track of what you accomplish, both as far as your high score goes and how many times you've experienced the attraction.
Each time you go on, syncing with the app will help you to unlock a variety of different additions to the game. But not only that, you can also customize your blaster, with the Director of immersive experiences Victor Lugo telling CinemaBlend and other outlets the app is a great way to make the experience change every single time.
As you play the attraction over and over again your level will continue to increase. This will unlock new content that you can experience in the app. ... My favorite part of the whole thing is the lab, though, and that's really why we're here. You have the ability to customize your blaster ahead of going into the attraction. You can assign your primary elemental blast - we have multiple you can use --ranging from force blast to fireball to freeze ball to lighting bolt. Each has a different elemental property that really behaves different depending on what scene you are in. The launchers are what you use via the front trigger. By going into the app, you can assign your default launcher. Mine is the polarizing pinballer. By default you'll have the banana bomb.
(Sidebar: one of the options for the standard launcher is a "fart bomb" that kids are probably gonna latch onto.)
You can also collect loot in the queue ahead of the ride. And the app has an option to add a new player and follow other players for families. All in all, the goal is for parkgoers to experience the attraction repeatedly and to unveil cool new additions to their experience every time. This should be a great, in particular, for annual passholders.
Minions Land Has Banana-Flavored Popcorn And So Much More
Going on rides is fun and all, but one of the best things to do in any theme park is eat, and Minions Land has some absolutely great options. The former Monsters Cafe is now the Minions Cafe, and it has some pretty tasty food for the whole family to enjoy.
In fact, Chef Robert Martinez Jr. told CinemaBlend his recommendation for first timers would be Uncle Dru's Belly Fillin' Pork sandwich, which comes with slow roasted porchetta chimichurri sauce and green banana chips. (It's very good.) CinemaBlend got to try some food and found the bright green Agnes' Honeymoon Soup to be really good despite it's wild color, while kids are going to love drinks like The PX-41 Punch, a drink that comes in a novelty plastic cup and is basically lemonade mixed with other fruit flavors and covered with frosting on top.
Beyond that, there are multiple places to go to grab a quick snack and have some stuff you simply won’t find anywhere else. Case in point, there's Pop-A-Nana, a kiosk where you can pick up banana-flavored popcorn. Is It Wild? Yes. Do you kinda want to try it? Of course you do. You'll also find Freeze Ray Pops and the Bake My Day bakery. There is oh so much that is banana(h) flavored at all of these locations, but Bake My Day also has a stunning PB&J cake pop and macarons that are almost too stunning to eat.
Minions Land Has So Much More Than Minions
Any theme park land isn’t done unless it has characters to meet and take pictures with someplace, and Minions Land is no exception. The little yellow guys, who are actually big yellow guys at Universal, are certainly around, and you’ll also find Gru, Margo, Edith and Agnes from the Despicable Me franchise as well. But that’s not all.
The Illumination Theater, which is hosting all the Minions Land Meet-And-Greets, will also see the occasional visit by Rosita, Gunter and Johnny from the Sing franchise. It seems likely that other characters from other Illumination Animation film projects will appear over time. If you are waiting for particular characters, there are posters on the side of the theater marking who is currently appearing and who is set to appear during the next "show." So that's a helpful hint if your kids prefer Sing to Minions or vice versa.
Minions Land isn’t the biggest and the boldest new theme park addition that we’ve seen, but not everything needs to be an E-Ticket ride to be a hit, and the new land has definitely jazzed up Universal Studios in a family-friendly and fun way.
Plus, there is so much more on the way for Universal Studios Florida, a new land dedicated to Dreamworks has already been announced to be opening in 2024. Plus, there’s the recently-closed Poseidon’s Fury attraction, which is next in line for a major upgrade to something new. In short, the upcoming year could be a great time to visit the Florida Parks if you haven't been in a while.
