Yahoo Lifestyle Everything to Know About Minion Land — the Newest Attraction at Universal Orlando Resort
Good Housekeeping enjoyed a complimentary visit to Universal Orlando's newest area, Minion Land.
Minion Land officially opened on August 11, 2023.
The new attraction includes an immersive gaming experience, Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast.
In this article, you'll learn: where and when Minion Land launched, what it replaced and the various attractions featured throughout.
Universal Orlando Resort never disappoints when it comes to new attractions. In fact, it's one of the best places to visit in Orlando, Florida, where you can expect exciting, family-friendly experiences ranging from their soon-to-come fourth theme park, Epic Universe, to their long-awaited Halloween Horror Nights.
But for fans of the loyal and hilarious characters from the Despicable Me and Minions franchise, you'll be happy to hear that Universal Orlando has finally opened their newest attraction, Minion Land. The area, brought to life with Illumination, is just as creative and exciting as the yellow henchmen themselves. You'll find bright-colored buildings, immersive games, delectable treats and a picture-worthy landscape for kids and adults alike!
"After we visited Villain-Con in the first Minions, we all felt that there were many more stories to tell," says Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, shared in a press release. This led to the transformation of an entire block dedicated to the films, from savory dishes at Minion Cafe to Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast, an interactive gaming experience.
So, to save you time researching what Minion Land has to offer, we're giving you an inside look at every attraction. Trust us; it's enjoyably despicable!
When and where is Minion Land opening?
Minion Land officially opened on August 11, 2023. The Minion-themed attraction is located on Illumination Avenue at Universal Orlando Resort.
What did Minion Land replace?
Minion Land replaced Production Central. Now, you'll find fun and creative attractions for fans of the yellow, goggle-wearing (and, dare we say, adorable?) creatures from Despicable Me.
What are the attractions at Minion Land?
Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast
Grab your blaster and put your villainous skills to the test with this interactive gaming experience. Guests can equip themselves with a blaster of choice and customize its abilities by connecting it to The Official Universal Resort app. Once connected, they can track their scores, embark on assigned missions and unlock more powerful blasts to "battle our favorite villains featured in the Despicable Me franchise, from the iconic Vector to the most recent supervillain supergroup, The Vicious 6," says Meledandri. Even better: all it takes is a simple tap. When the game ends, they'll stumble upon Evil Stuff, a retail store full of "evil" merchandise, like Villain-Con shirts, fanny packs and teddies.
Minion Cafe
Once you defeat the world's most iconic villains, grab a bite at this new eatery. It features three areas — the Kitchen, Breakroom and Dining Room — inspired by four of Despicable Me's beloved Minions: Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Otto.
When entering the space, you'll be greeted by a grand statue of a Minion cooking fun cuisine right in the center. Their limited menu includes a Steak and "Cheese Ray" sandwich, Kevin's Chopa Chopa Salad, Otto's Noodle Bowl and Mel's Meatball Mountain. You'll even find fun movie-inspired items, like a fake water dispenser filled with realistic goldfish and a vending machine stocked with bananas, sundaes and Manic Energy Drinks (and no, sadly, they're not actually for sale).
Illumination Theater
Take pictures with your favorite characters from the Illumination films, like Gru, Margo, Edith and the Minions from Despicable Me, or Rosita, Gunter and Johnny from Sing. Dance and tango along as they perform their renditions of popular songs featured in the movies, such as Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" and Ariana Grande's "Break Free." Then, browse the murals and photo ops displayed by the entrance.
Bake My Day
The massive pink cupcake (and overall pink exterior) is a major indicator of the sweets you'll find inside Bake My Day. The bakery sells an array of Minion-themed treats, from Minion apples and whoopie pies to cake pops, and one of our editor's favorite picks, banana Swiss rolls.
There's even cute merchandise for sale, like cotton-candy-haired Minion backpacks little ones will surely enjoy carrying around.
Freeze Ray Pops
Cool off with frozen popsicles inspired by the Despicable Me and Minions characters.
The walk-up window serves an array of specialty treats: the Minion Freeze Ray Pop, a blue banana popsicle coated in blue and yellow-colored white chocolate; the Vector Freeze Ray Pop, an orange popsicle coated in orange-colored white chocolate; and the Gru Freeze Ray Pop, a Nutella popsicle coated in black-colored dark chocolate.
Each of these popsicles feature shortbread cookies on the front with the character's respective logos, like "G" for Gru and "V" for Vector. These popsicles are under $10, with the regular options, such as mango, coconut and strawberry, being sold for $5.99.
Pop-A-Nana
If you didn't know already, the Minions love bananas (maybe a little too much!). Join their obsession with banana-flavored popcorn at Pop-A-Nana. And if bananas aren't your go-to, there's regular popcorn as well. Plus, you can purchase one of their fun popcorn buckets, like the Disco Minion. There's something for everyone!
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