Go Bananas At The New Minion Land Now Open At Universal Orlando

11.08.2023 - 23:55 / forbes.com

Universal Orlando Resort has officially entered its super-villain era: The new Minion Land section of the theme park that opened today is dedicated to its mischievous yellow henchmen, with snack outposts along Illumination Avenue serving banana-flavored treats.

The marquee attraction—a gamified blaster ride called Villain-Con Minion Blast—gives park-goers a chance to go on special missions with the Vicious 6, the supervillains from “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”

The ride is Universal Orlando’s first to feature a connected gameplay experience, with visitors syncing their blaster to the theme park’s app so they can track their scores and earn digital collectibles. Instead of moving through the ride in a cart, riders stand on a slow-moving walkway that winds them through the 5 1/2-minute game as they blast away at their targets.

As Victor Lugo, director of immersive experiences with Universal Creative, puts it, the Villain-Con Minion Blast is “the most customizable attraction we’ve ever built.” The blasters, for instance, are equipped with banana bombs, freeze rays, and nunchucks so you can pick your poison so to say.

The minions first made their mark on Universal Orlando Florida in 2012 when the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem simulator based on the film franchise debuted. Now, in partnership with Illumination, Universal Orlando Resort has given its minions more real estate near the entrance of the park.

It makes sense: The “Despicable Me” and “Minions” franchise is a top-grossing animation series, with the five films cumulatively raking in nearly $4.4 billion globally. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (2022) is the most successful move in the Minions universe.

“After we visited Villain-Con in the first ‘Minions,’ we all felt that there were many more stories to tell. I am thrilled for guests of all ages to discover our new Minion Land including the innovative gamified experience at Villain-Con Minion Blast where they can battle our favorite villains featured in the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise, from the iconic Vector to the most recent supervillain, supergroup, The Vicious 6,” said Chris Meledandri, Founder and CEO of Illumination, in a press release.

While in the queue for the new ride, check out the exhibits at Villain-Con, the global convention for aspiring criminals like the one featured in the film. (Think: a travel show exhibit with items like a “Devious Destinations” magazine, “A Little Book of Conversation Killers” and a picket pocketing 101 book.

Once in the ride, encounter members of the Vicious 6 voiced by the original cast members from the film, like the cool-and-confident leader Belle Bottom (voiced by Taraji P. Henson) who is in a groovy disco set.

Minion Land also has meet-and-greet character