After a few weeks of previews and technical rehearsals, Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast as well as Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida will officially open on August 11, 2023.
Villain-Con Minion Blast Opening
Most of Minion Land soft opened on June 17 with various themed dining locations and Illumination character meet-and-greets.
Team Member previews for Villain-Con Minion Blast wrapped up a few weeks ago, and the new attraction has been operating intermittently for technical rehearsals since July 15. During this period, the ride may not operate for the full day and some elements of the attraction “may not be available as our evil scientists work out all the glitches.”
Annual Passholder previews will take place at the beginning of August, just before Passholder Appreciation Days.
Grand opening merchandise is already available.
Minion Blast was developed in partnership between Universal’s award-winning creative team and the filmmakers from Illumination. This interactive blaster game experience invites guests to compete against each other in hopes to join the franchise’s most dastardly supervillains, the Vicious 6.
The attraction utilizes screen technology, gaming interactivity, and physical sets to create a unique, game-based adventure. Guests put their villainous skills to the test in immersive environments.
The story behind the attraction is that guests are visiting Villain-Con, the biggest criminal convention on the planet, which has set itself up at Universal Studios Florida. At Villain-Con, guests take part in a competition to see if they have what it takes to become the newest member of the Vicious 6. Guests grab an interactive blaster and step onto a motion-based pathway to start blasting. A toy version of the blaster is available for purchase — and being handed out to younger guests who can’t carry the actual ride blaster.
The walkway moves through several scenes where they earn points by shooting at a variety of items, causing as much destruction as possible. They will be able to track their points across multiple rides thanks to the Universal Orlando Resort app.
At the moment, no photos or video is allowed in the queue or on the attraction itself, but stay tuned for more coverage as the ride officially opens. Watch our honest review (with spoilers) below.
Minion Land takes over most of Production Central, folding the pre-existing Despicable Me Minion Mayhem into the land.
Read our Minion Land food reviews:
- REVIEW: We Ate EVERYTHING on the Menu at the New Minion Café in Universal Studios Florida
- REVIEW: Bake My Day in Minion Land at Universal Studios – Banana Swiss Roll, Cupcakes, S’mores, Cake Pops, and Macarons
- REVIEW: Beat the Heat with Freeze Ray Pops in Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida
- REVIEW: Pop-A-Nana Opens With Banana Popcorn at Minion Land in Universal Studios Florida
A completely different Minion Land exists at Universal Studios Beijing. In Universal Studios Japan, Minion Park is yet another separate land, with a clone under construction at Universal Studios Singapore. A version of Minion Café also exists at Universal Studios Hollywood.
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