With the opening of its second Minions-themed attraction, Villain-Con Minion Blast on Illumination Avenue, Universal Orlando Resort has officially launched Minion Land at the Universal Studios Florida theme park. Developed in partnership with the filmmakers behind the Despicable Me and Minions movies, Minion Land is a bright, cheery, and infectiously happy addition to the park with plenty to offer Minions-crazed kids as well as those with only a passing interest in the films.
With two action-packed comedic attractions, a gift shop stuffed to the brim with adorable Minions merchandise, and more delightfully zany dining options than you can shake a banana at, Minion Land is a must-visit destination inside the Universal Studios Florida park. In fact, the food alone is worth making a special effort to visit Minions Land.
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Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida: The Basics
Minion Land is located on Illumination Avenue inside Universal Studios Florida. There are two attractions (Villain-Con Minion Blast and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem), a unique merchandise store called Evil Stuff, a character meet-and-greet area called Illumination Theater, and four distinct dining options (Minion Cafe, Bake My Day, Freeze Ray Pops, and Pop-a-Nana).
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That’s a lot of Minion madness packed into a relatively straightforward and self-contained area of the park, so it’s easily manageable even with younger kids. Better yet, Minion Land is situated very close to the park entrance, so it’s both a perfect spot to start your day before the crowds arrive and a fantastic place to grab dinner or a delicious dessert on your way to the park exit.
Here’s a breakdown of all the attractions, character meet-and-greet opportunities, and dining areas within Minion Land.
Minion Land at Universal Orlando: The Attractions
Universal Studios Florida’s Minion Land is home to two Minion-themed attractions. Both are state-of-the-art experiences that are kid-friendly and highly interactive.
Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast
Fans of the Despicable Me and Minions films will know all about Villain-Con from the movie Minions: The Rise of Gru. But don’t worry if you’re not deeply immersed in Minions lore. The premise of Villain-Con Minion Blast is that you’re a would-be villain on a mission to prove your evil mettle and earn a spot on the infamous supervillain team known as the Vicious 6. Really, that’s all you need to know to experience this interactive and adorable video game-like attraction.
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After an immersive queuing area puts you squarely inside Villain-Con, the first thing you do in this interactive attraction is select an “E-Liminator X blaster” for your mission. You have the option to sync your blaster to the Universal Orlando Resort app for a connected gameplay experience that allows you to select a different mission each time you play the game, track your scores, and unlock special firepowers and other “evil perks,” making Villain-Con Minion Blast a highly repeatable interactive game where there’s something different to experience each time.
That said, you don’t need to sync with the app at all. The experience remains immersive and intuitive without those bonus features. I think of them more as add-ons for those who want to go a little deeper, but certainly not necessary. Tech-savvy kids and parents will love them; grandparents just along for the ride can still blast their way to supervillain stardom without them.
Once you’ve secured your blaster and received your mission instructions, you’ll step onto a moving conveyor belt and travel though multiple computer animated scenarios full of things to blast, busy Minions to keep you amused, and lots of little Easter eggs for hardcore Minions (and Universal Studios) fans.
The attraction is also wheelchair-accessible; guests may remain in a standard wheelchair throughout the experience. Closed captioning is also available. Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast has no height requirement, but children under 48 inches must be supervised (handheld infants are not permitted). Both child swap and Universal Express passes are available.
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
The Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction is a genuinely funny interactive experience that puts you smack dab in the middle of one of Gru’s schemes. A simulator transforms guests into Minions with hilarious results. It’s a beloved family-favorite at Universal Studios Florida and appropriate for all ages.
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As with Villain-Con Minion Blast, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a wheelchair-accessible attraction; guests may remain seated in a standard wheelchair throughout the experience and closed captioning is available. The height requirement for this kid-friendly attraction is 40 inches with supervision or 48 inches without adult supervision. Both child swap and Universal Express passes are permitted for Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.
Restaurants and Dining Areas inside Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida
Even if you’re not a Minions fan, you’ll be delighted by the dining options at Minion Land. Here’s the lowdown on where and what to eat on Illumination Avenue.
Minion Cafe
The culinary centerpiece of Minion Land, Illumination’s Minion Cafe is themed around the antics of beloved Minions Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto, with three distinct indoor table service dining areas designed as a kitchen, break room, and dining room (in full Minions-style, of course) and an outdoor patio that overlooks Illumination Avenue. There’s a convenient express window for grab-and-go dining, but the full menu table service area is where the Minion Cafe truly shines.
After you’re assigned a table, make your way to the register to order and pay for your food and drink, then return to your table for meal service delivered right to you by servers dressed in Minion colors. Some of my favorites include the Steak and “Cheese Ray” Sandwich and Uncle Dru’s Belly Fill-in’ Pork Sandwich handhelds, Otto’s Noodle Bowl, Agnes’s Honeymoon Soup, and Carl’s Crispy Cauliflower.
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Kid-sized bites range from the Freedonia Festival of the Mac and Cheese to the Mini Boss’ Mega Melt grilled cheese. My teenage daughter and I shared a Mel’s Meatball Mountain (a stuffed pizza drizzled with marinara and fresh mozzarella balls) that might be the best thing we’ve ever eaten at a theme park.
Desserts include Otto’s Pet Rock, Bob’s Teddy Bear, Fluffy Unicorn Cupcakes, and a Minion Swiss roll. These desserts are really cute. In fact, the theming and presentation make them almost too adorable to eat. (Almost.) Wash them down with a lemonade-like PX-41 Punch or banana-flavored The Antidote, once again Minion-themed for maximum cuteness.
Bake My Day
Invitingly pink and topped with a can’t-be-missed giant cupcake, Bake My Day is Minion Land’s delicious bakery and mini merchandise shop full of Minion-themed treats (think cupcakes, s’mores, macarons, cake pops, and a cleverly designed candy-coated “Minion Apple”) along with apparel and accessories. It’s sugar overload in the best possible way. The themed bakery items are so adorable here that it’s worth stopping in even if you don’t plan to buy a treat.
Freeze Ray Pops
This walk-up window serves whimsical Minions-themed frozen treats inspired by characters from the Despicable Me and Minions movies. While they’re technically considered popsicles, the character designs and unique flavors elevate these refreshing treats well beyond a standard popsicle. Blue-banana Minions and a Nutella-flavored Gru are highlights, but those are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg (or popsicle) .
Pop-a-Nana
A walkup popcorn stand inside Minion Land, Pop-a-Nana is the place to go for sweet and savory popcorn. If you’ve ever wondered what banana-flavored popcorn might taste like, for example, Pop-a-Nana has you covered. (It’s pretty good, actually.) You can also purchase a variety of keepsake popcorn buckets here.
Retail Locations Inside Minion Land at Universal Orlando Resort
You can purchase Minions-themed items through Universal Orlando Resort and at various Universal Studios stores, but Minion Land is the best place to shop for exclusive merchandise. The Bake My Day bakery has a small selection of unique items for sale, but Evil Stuff is the main retail outlet on Illumination Avenue.
Evil Stuff
The big merchandise outlet inside Minion Land is called Evil Stuff, a large retail area accessible from the street on Illumination Avenue or through the exit of the Villain-Con Minion Blast attraction. After blasting your way onto the Vicious 6, you may want to pick up some Villain-Con swag to commemorate your villainous transformation, and Evil Stuff is the place to do it. Featuring a huge variety of merchandise, including shirts, backpacks, and plush figures, Evil Stuff is a one-stop outlet for Villain-Con and Minions merchandise.
Character Appearances Inside Minion Land on Illumination Avenue
There’s a lot packed into Minion Land in Universal Studios Florida. Wacky designs and mischievous Minions are everywhere in the artwork and architecture on Illumination Avenue, making the whole area great for photos. But for character meet-and-greets (and special performances), head to Illumination Theater, tucked just off the main drag of Illumination Avenue.
Illumination Theater
Illumination Theater is an Art Deco-inspired theater facade where you can catch appearances by a variety of popular Despicable Me characters, including the Minions, Gru, Margo, Edith, and Agnes. But it’s not strictly Minions, either. You can also meet characters from the film Sing, with more characters likely to make their red carpet debuts in the future. It’s all very interactive, too. Here you’ll have the opportunity to pose for photos, interact one-on-one with beloved characters, and watch live performances.
