ILLUMINATION’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MINION LAND, FEATURING THE ALL-NEW VILLAIN-CON MINION BLAST, MINION CAFE, BAKE MY DAY AND MORE IS NOW OPEN AT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT
ORLANDO, Fla. (August 11, 2023) – Brace yourself, as Minion Land on Illumination Avenue officially opens today at Universal Orlando Resort. Guests of all ages can now step into the beloved world of the Minions franchise like never before at Universal Studios Florida. Developed in partnership between Universal’s award-winning creative team and the acclaimed filmmakers from Illumination, a whole new level of Minion mischief awaits in this vibrant new land.
“We are thrilled to officially welcome our guests to the all-new Minion Land,” said Karen Irwin, President & COO of Universal Orlando Resort. “This immersive and captivating new addition to our destination was brought to life in a partnership with our colleagues at Illumination and puts our guests into the heart, and villainous minds, of this diabolically fun franchise. This rich new environment has so much for all our guests to enjoy.”
Chris Meledandri, Founder and CEO of Illumination, said, “After we visited Villain-Con in the first MINIONS, we all felt that there were many more stories to tell. I am thrilled for guests of all ages to discover our new Minion Land including the innovative gamified experience at Villain-Con Minion Blast where they can battle our favorite villains featured in the Despicable Me franchise, from the iconic Vector to the most recent supervillain, supergroup, The Vicious 6.”
Guests are welcomed to the land with a fun, photo-worthy “Minion Land” marquee featuring 22 Minions before embarking on more mayhem that awaits along Illumination Ave., including the groundbreaking new attraction – Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast – where guests can blast their way to supervillain stardom. Guests can also savor tasty dishes at Minion Cafe, snack on banana-flavored popcorn at Pop-a-Nana, cool off with sweet treats at Freeze Ray Pops, shop exclusive Minion-inspired merchandise and goodies at Bake My Day and the Evil Stuff retail store, laugh alongside the Minions while experiencing absolute Mayhem at the beloved Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, and meet lots of fan-favorite characters along the way at Illumination Theater.
Here’s a closer look at the collection of new experiences guests will find enjoyably despicable in Minion Land:
VILLAIN-CON MINION BLAST
Villain-Con Minion Blast blends immersive sets, interactive game-based technology, and an original storyline for a first-of-its-kind attraction that puts guests’ villainous skills to the test to see if they have what it takes to become a member of the Vicious 6 – a notorious group of supervillains from the hit film, “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” Villain-Con Minion Blast is also the first Universal Orlando attraction to feature a connected gameplay experience via The Official Universal Orlando Resort App. By syncing their blaster to the app with just a tap, contenders can take their game to an entirely new level and track their scores, embark on special missions within the attraction, unlock evil perks and extra powerful blasts to help them gain more points and earn digital collectibles.
MINION CAFE
At the new Illumination’s Minion Cafe, guests can expect an immersive new eatery that offers something for everyone in a highly entertaining dining experience that features three themed areas designed after beloved Minions Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Otto: the Kitchen, the Breakroom and the Dining Room. Guests can also enjoy their meal at the outdoor patio that overlooks the fun of Minion Land. Guests of all ages can enjoy inventive fare featuring nearly 20 items inspired by memorable characters and staples from the Minions franchise. Minion Cafe also features an express window with a limited menu for those looking to satisfy their mischievous cravings quickly and return to the mayhem in Minion Land.
BAKE MY DAY
Topped with a massive pink cupcake that’s visible from anywhere in Minion Land, Bake My Day is a whimsical retail location and bakery featuring a selection of Minion-themed sweet treats, including cupcakes, macarons, s’mores and more, along with exclusive Minion-inspired merchandise like apparel, plush, drinkware, accessories, keychains and more.
EVIL STUFF
At this unique retail store, guests can pick up all the items necessary to complete their villainous transformation. This new retail store offers a variety of Villain-Con and Minions merchandise, making it a one-stop destination for those seeking to embrace their “evil” side.
ILLUMINATION THEATER
Not only can guests discover murals and photo ops of popular characters from Illumination films throughout Minion Land, but now guests can meet, greet and interact with beloved characters like the Minions, Gru, Margo, Edith and Agnes, plus new additions from the hit film “Sing” – Rosita, Gunter and Johnny – at the Illumination Theater.
POP-A-NANA
This walkup location features sweet and savory popcorn, including a special banana flavor, inspired by the Minions’ love for bananas. Here, guests may also find an assortment of fun popcorn buckets, including the Disco Minion.
FREEZE RAY POPS
Guests can cool off with a visit to Freeze Ray Pops, a walk-up window serving refreshingly colorful frozen treats inspired by Gru, the Minions and Vector.
DESPICABLE ME MINION MAYHEM
One of the most comedic, heartwarming, and beloved theme park experiences ever created brings Minions, mayhem, and tons of laughter to a ride that turns guests into Minions. This simulator attraction is a fan favorite and must-see while experiencing all that Minion Land has to offer.
You can experience all the mayhem Minion Land has to offer with special deals including the incredible – Three Extra Months Free – offer when purchasing or renewing any 2-Park or 3-Park Annual or Seasonal Pass for U.S. and Canada residents. The “3 Months Free on Any Pass” offer allows guests to save significantly on an extraordinary year of theme park perks that includes 15 months of admission to Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure, as well as Universal Volcano Bay for select Passes – three theme parks that boast some of the most innovative, immersive, and popular theme park experiences ever created. Blockout dates apply on select Passes.
For more information about the “3 Months Free on Any Pass” offer and Universal Orlando Resort, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com.
For more information about Minion Land, visit Illumination’s Minion Land | Universal Studios Florida (universalorlando.com)
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About Universal Destinations & Experiences
Universal Destinations & Experiences, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the world the most innovative, immersive and popular entertainment experiences. Our portfolio is comprised of world-class theme parks featuring the industry’s most thrilling and technologically advanced attractions, exceptional hotels and resorts, unique merchandise, games, virtual and live entertainment experiences. We use our rich collection of stories and franchises – from Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and more – to take people to places they couldn’t imagine while creating memorable and emotionally fulfilling moments for people of all ages.
The company continues to raise the bar on immersive storytelling to wow even the youngest theme park goers. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to build a first-of-its-kind, original theme park for families with young children in Frisco, Texas. For more information, visit www.universaldestinationsandexperiences.com.
About Universal Orlando Resort – Where It’s More Than Magic, It’s Real
Universal Orlando Resort is an award-winning theme park destination that welcomes all to truly be themselves while enjoying world-class attractions that redefine theme park experiences. Here, a multitude of authentically thrilling, exciting and spontaneous adventures await – each inviting guests to embark on whatever vacation they crave while igniting their full range of emotions like never before – from the awe of walking the streets of Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to the rush of adrenaline that takes over when coming face-to-face with a Velociraptor in Jurassic Park to the wide-eyed joy of seeing an entire slice of cake atop a delectable milkshake at The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen.
The 700-acre resort is home to three exhilarating theme parks – Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Volcano Bay – that boast some of the most innovative and immersive experiences ever created, with a fourth next-level theme park, Universal Epic Universe, on the way. Guests can also relish in exciting dining and entertainment at the Universal CityWalk entertainment complex and enjoy incredible accommodations and magnificent theming across eight hotels that offer something for every style and budget – Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside and Dockside Inn and Suites.
For more information about Universal Orlando Resort, visit www.universalorlando.com.
About Illumination
Illumination, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is the entertainment industry’s leading producer of event-animated films, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the first film of 2023 to earn more than $1 billion worldwide, Despicable Me—the most successful animated franchise in cinematic history—as well as Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and The Secret Life of Pets and Sing films. Illumination’s revered studio library includes three of the top 10 animated films of all time.
In April 2023, Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened to a staggering $377.5 million worldwide—the biggest animated global film opening weekend of all time—and set new records as the biggest opening weekend in Illumination history, the biggest domestic, international and global opening of 2023 so far, the biggest Easter weekend opening ever and the biggest video-game adaptation opening ever.
Illumination is now responsible for the two biggest animated opening weekends of the pandemic era, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie is currently the highest grossing film, in any genre, of 2023.
Illumination’s iconic, beloved franchises—infused with memorable and distinct characters, global appeal and cultural relevance—have grossed more than $9 billion worldwide. Illumination has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures. Illumination’s upcoming films include Migration in December 2023 and Despicable Me 4 in summer 2024.