Minion Land opens in Universal Studios Florida – Pictured: Minion Cart — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Usa-Pyon
Minion Land, the new area at Universal Studios Florida themed to the naughty yellow creatures from the “Despicable Me” movies, has opened formally after many weeks of soft openings and technical rehearsals.
The area, which is distinguished by its vividly colored structures, is situated close to the park’s entrance along the recently established Illumination Avenue. Visitors are greeted at the door by a huge sign that is covered with dozens of Minions.
Along with the already-existing Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction, Minion Land also features brand-new features like Villain-Con Minion Blast, a restaurant with a Minions theme, a character meet-and-greet area, and souvenir stores.
Here is a list of all the things you can do on the new land.
Don’t worry if you feel hungry while exploring Minion Land. There are many locations to stop for a quick meal or a refreshing beverage. A variety of dishes are served in the Minion Cafe, a themed sit-down restaurant with a lot of yellow decor throughout the region.
There are dishes on the menu named after movie characters. There is a choice of what Universal has nicknamed “Despica-Bowls,” with titles like Kevin’s Chopa Chota Salad and Otto’s Noodle Bowl. Sandwiches like the Steak & “Cheese Ray,” sides like Minion Tots, and desserts are also available.
The culinary team at Universal aimed to combine ingredients that would be pleasing to a variety of palates with the playful aesthetic of the Minions brand while developing the menu.
“We’ve taken inspiration from the movies, of course, the storytelling from Illumination, and we’re bringing it all together which is this multi-sensory experience which Minion Cafe is,” said Chef Jens Dahlman, VP, executive chef of operations at Universal Orlando. “We have everything, especially this menu is very ethnic. We have Hispanic and Asian influences. We have American flavors. So the menu really offers something for everybody.”
There is a bakery called Bake My Day housed in a pretty pink building with a huge cupcake on top if you’re looking for more sweets. The store offers cake pops, Swiss rolls, cupcakes, and other treats. Cold popsicles from Freeze Ray Pops come in flavors including banana, strawberry, and Nutella.
Pop-A-Nana, a popcorn shop featuring banana-flavored popcorn, offers another product with a banana flavor. There is also plain popcorn available.
Villain-Con Minion Blast is another recent addition to Minion Land’s lineup of attractions. It’s a moving walkway with an interactive blaster game.
Visitors will be taken to Villain-Con, a made-up gathering of supervillains, where they can participate in a test to determine whether they have what it takes to join the Vicious 6.
The Universal Creative team decided early on in the development of the attraction that they wanted to convey a tale that took place at Villain-Con.
“At the same time we were coming up with this attraction, the new Minions film was coming out “The Rise of Gru,” which features the Vicious 6,” said Carson Luter, associate project manager with Universal Creative. “So we had this opportunity. We knew we wanted to tell a story of Villain-Con, and then we knew we wanted to incorporate the new villain from the new film in an attraction.”
Visitors will enter areas that have been designed to resemble a convention floor, complete with vendor booths and displays of technology, as they move through the queue.
To begin the challenge, visitors will grab an E-Liminator X blaster. They will then be given a position on the walkway, which will lead them through various situations each with a different villain as the focus. They will use the handheld blaster to aim at on-screen targets in order to score.
Additionally, each area has a variety of real set pieces.
“We knew early on that we want to have physical things that you can blast at,” Luter said. So there are power-up boxes that you can blast at. There are portraits that you can blast at. There’s a Jumbotron you can blast at, all the while surrounding you are screens with intricate show sets that kind of frame it in.”
The activity on the screen may appear chaotic when many people are blasting simultaneously. Remembering the color that appears on your blaster can help you get your bearings.
“Right when you get your blaster, take a look at your blaster,” Luter said. “The dome color of the blaster and on the screen is going to tell you what color to look for when you’re in the attraction.”
Illumination Theater, an outdoor space for character meet-and-greets, is also available on the new property.
Characters will arrive on the red carpet underneath the marquee on the exterior of the art deco-style theater for photo ops.
Throughout the day, various appearances by the Minions and characters from the animated movie “Sing” will take place. But there is room in the area for upcoming characters.
“We designed this to be able to house any character, both now in our current library and, knowing that Illumination is going to continue to make amazing animated films, being able to incorporate any new character into this location,” said Mike Aiello, senior director of entertainment creative development.
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.