Universal Orlando Resort has several exciting new projects currently in development, with the most significant being the opening of its third theme park, Epic Universe, set for summer 2025. But families won’t have to wait until 2025 to check out a few of the other big changes coming to Universal.
The Minions Are Coming to Universal Orlando
First up is an all-new attraction called Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast. Inspired by the world of everyone’s favorite banana-loving, overalls-clad yellow Minions, Villain-Con Minion Blast will be a unique attraction in which “guests will grab an interactive blaster and step onto a motion-based pathway to put their skills to the test,” per theme park reporter Scott Gustin.
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The attraction’s storyline involves Villain-Con, in which visitors at the convention will each vie for a spot with The Vicious 6, a group of villains first introduced in the 2022 film Minions: The Rise of Gru. The tech-forward attraction, which will combine elements of interactive game play with physical sets, is set to open in the summer of 2023.
Universal Stakes its Claim as Florida’s Premiere Theme Park
Villain-Con Minion Blast, which will be in the former location of Shrek 4-D, is just one part of a larger transformation taking shape in the coming months around Production Central, the area of Universal Studios currently home to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Soon, guests will be able to visit an entirely new Minion Land along Illumination Avenue, named after the animation studio responsible for the hit Despicable Me and Minion franchise, as well as The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. This Minion Land will also include a new dining location called Minion Café, which will be at the former location of Universal’s Classic Monster Cafe.
Universal Orlando has been busy in recent years opening new rides for its thrill-seeking guests, including Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in 2019 at its Harry Potter theme park area and Jurassic World VelociCoaster in 2021.
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For families visiting with little ones, Villain-Con Minion Blast should be a great fit. And with an entire new theme park set to open in just a few years’ time (which will include the highly-anticipated Super Nintendo World), it seems clear that Universal is looking to stake its claim as a premiere Central Florida tourist destination, whether you are a roller coaster fan or not.
