Navigating Illumination Avenue: Everything to know before heading to Universal's Minion Land
Get ready to go bananas with some of the most iconic yellow henchmen.
Minion Land is officially open at Universal Orlando Resort, designed to fully immerse guests in a whole new level of silly Minion mischief.
Developed in partnership between Universal’s award-winning creative team and the acclaimed filmmakers from Illumination, it boasts a new first-of-its-kind attraction and several eateries to satisfy every foodie. Here's what to expect from the brand-new section of Universal Orlando:
What is Minion Land?
"Minion Land" is an immersive new area created in partnership between Universal’s award-winning creative team and the acclaimed filmmakers from Illumination. It seeks to expand on the theming from the "Minion" franchise from the animated film "Despicable Me (2010)."
Get a look at the new attraction: Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast: An inside look at Universal Studios' new ride
Before we go further - what exactly is a Minion?
Minions are tiny yellow henchmen who work for the supervillain, Gru. As Vox further explains, they are "earnestly driven by the desire to serve an evil boss, though they often screw up because they're selfish, easily distracted, and generally inept."
Other key facts include:
Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto are the more well-known Minions. Be prepared to hear their names around the park and possibly run into them.
They communicate using a gibberish language that's only understandable to them and a few people.
Both their appearance and height will vary, some are taller with two eyes or smaller with one huge eye.
Would I need to see the movies to understand and have fun in the park?
While the amount of worldbuilding and details within the new section of the studios might seem intimidating to someone not familiar with the franchise, Universal officials and attraction creators assure that everyone will enjoy Minion Land regardless of the knowledge of the henchmen.
But if you did want to catch up on your Minions lore before immersing yourself in their world, here are all the movies in order:
Despicable Me (2010)
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Minions (2015)
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
Despicable Me 4 (2024)
Where is Minion Land? Where is it located within the park?
The new section will be located within the main Universal Studios theme park. The entire Universal Orlando property is located at 6000 Universal Blvd in Orlando.
Actually finding Minion Land might be one of the easiest things you can do once stepping foot into the park — it's the first main section you walk into when you walk into Universal Studios. No map is required.
How much are tickets to Universal Orlando?
Single-day, single-park tickets start at $104 for children and $109 for adults.
What did Minion Land replace in the park?
While many were excited about the upcoming Minion Land attractions, theme park fanatics, and animated film lovers did mourn the loss of Shrek 4D, a show that followed characters from the movie Shrek as they try to stop the ghost of Lord Farquaad from capturing Princess Fiona. The attraction ran for 19 years since its opening in 2003.
Officials also said goodbye to the Monsters Cafe in May of 2022, a quick-service spot based on Universal's classic monsters.
Universal released the statement "After more than 20 years of serving dreadfully-delicious quick-service menu offerings, Monster’s Café in Universal Studios Florida permanently closed in the spring of 2022 to make way for a new dining experience."
What is Minion Land's new attraction, Illumination's Villain-Con Minion?
Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast is described by Univeral Orlando officials as a one-of-a-kind shooting game attraction, with Universal seeking to blend immersive sets, interactive game-based technology, custom animation, and an original storyline.
Blastguests can blast their way to "supervillain stardom." This attraction 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."
The ride system is a moving walkway, similar to a baggage conveyor belt that you find at the airport or even those found in Universal's own parking areas.
"We wanted to create something that allows people free play and by free play, I just mean completely untethered," Director of Immersive Experiences for NBCUniversal Victor Lugo told the USA Today Network-Florida on Thursday. "So we spent a lot of time coming up with this idea of an untethered blaster and the thought was that we surround you and fully immerse you in a way that allows you to determine what you want to look at and what you want to blast."
The ride is meant for everyone and has no height requirement, only asking that those under 48 inches have supervision.
Want to enhance your gameplay for Illumination's Villain-Con Minion?
Villain-Con Minion Blast is also the first Universal Orlando attraction to feature a connected gameplay experience via The Official Universal Orlando ResortApp. By syncing your blaster to the app with just a tap, you can take your game to an entirely new level by:
Tracking your scores
Embarking on special missions within the attraction
Unlocking evil perks and extra powerful blasts to help gain more points
Earning digital collectibles
The more guests play and the higher the score, the more perks and bragging rights they’ll earn. Lugo said their teams had been working on this feature for a few years, believing it was complementary to the ride and the movies.
What does the shopping look like?
After stepping off the ride and attending the most prestigious convention of villains, guests can snag a memento of their mischievous time at the gift shop, Evil Stuff.
From plushes and pins to clothes and candy, there is something to please even the most notorious of supervillains.
Minion fans will especially get a kick out of the decorations throughout the merchandise store. After seeing Minions: The Rise of Gru, they will home in on their favorite Minions dressed as the infamous villains they have encountered over the years, such as Vector, Scarlet Overkill, and Balthazar Bratt.
Where can you eat in Minion Land?
Minion Cafe - As the flagship quick-service restaurant in the new section, the cafe plans to immerse guests into the world of the minions and explore the dedicated areas that pay tribute to the yellow henchmen.
Some of the menu items include:
Kevin’s Chopa Chopa Salad ($14.99) - Purple cabbage and arugula, tomatoes, cucumber, edamame, crispy pork belly, pulled rotisserie chicken, green plantain chips, and a mustard ale vinaigrette
El Macho’s Salsa y Salsa Ropa Vieja ($16.99) - Braised beef with tomato cucumber salad, cilantro rice, salsa roja, and El Macho tostones
Agnes’s Honeymoon Soup ($13.99) -Green tomato soup, crispy pork belly, tomato gummy bear, basil oil served with a pimento cheddar grilled cheese sandwich
Carl’s Crispy Cauliflower ($14.99) - Crispy cauliflower florets with sweet & spicy chili sauce, coconut blue rice, Thai cucumbers, and edamame
Lucy’s Top Secret Salmon ($18.99) - Wood-grilled Atlantic salmon, coconut blue rice, Thai cucumbers, edamame, lipstick taser sauce
Otto’s Noodle Bowl ($16.99) - Slow-roasted porchetta, udon noodles, tare egg, roast corn, shrimp dumpling, tonkotsu broth
Chicken Stuart’s Sichuan Surprise ($15.49) - Sichuan glazed rotisserie chicken, stir-fried vegetable lo mein
Fluffy Unicorn Cupcake ($5.99) - Confetti cupcake, vanilla & bubble gum icing, topped with a chocolate unicorn horn
Minion Swiss Roll ($7.99) - Vanilla cake with pineapple cardamom whipped ganache, passion fruit “banana” with a chocolate shell
Specialty 'Antidote' drinks ($5.99) -
Bake My Day - Munch on Minion-inspired sweets like cupcakes, cookies, and marshmallow treats.
Some of the menu items include:
Swill rolls - $6
Cookies - $6
S'Mores - $8
Cupcakes - $8
Cake Pops - $10
Minion apple - $13
Freeze Ray Pops - Get a break from the heat by grabbing a popsicle inspired by iconic characters like Gru, Vector, and the Minions.
The flavors include:
Blue Banana (Decorated like a Minion obviously)
Nutella
Orange Creamsicle
Mango
Strawberry
Coconut
Lemon Mint
Blueberry Lemonade
Cotton Candy
Cheesecake
Cookies & Cream
Pop-a-Nana - Get your banana fix with the Minions' favorite fruit-flavored popcorn at $6.69. It also offers regular flavored popcorn, priced at $5.19. You can also opt for a collectible Minion popcorn bucket for $12.29.
How did chefs curate the menu?
Universal Studios Vice President and Executive Chef of Operations Jens Dahlmann shared that that this menu will make even the most grumpy person smile.
It took months of testing recipes and working with various teams to determine the perfect menu that would perfectly pay tribute to the Minions. Dahlmann said super fans will especially be excited to see details from the movies, from the gummy bear ice cube in the tomato soup to the iconic unicorn from the first movie.
"I'm especially proud of Minions Cafe, Freeze Ray Pops, (Bake My Way) bakery, and Pop-o-Nana. We created a multi-sensory experience for our guests to dive into the movies, experience the movies and find deeper storytelling."
Insider Tip: Which dish at Minion Cafe is his favorite?
Uncle Dru’s Belly Fillin’ Pork Sandwich ($13.99) - A sandwich with slow-roasted porchetta, chimichurri sauce, mustard aioli, apple butter, bacon jam, and arugula on a Hawaiian pretzel bun. Served with green plantain chips
Can you meet the Minions in person?
Guests can meet Minions and other characters from their franchise like Gru, Margo, Edith, and Agnes at an outdoor “Illumination Theater facade.”
Michael Aiell, Senior Director of Entertainment Creative Development, said it was their goal to make something other just a "step and repeat" attraction. Together with a team of engineers and designers, they worked to make the Art Deco-inspired theatre a place where guests can get special one-on-one time with the characters they love and see exciting performances outside.
"Those were the two major goals that we knew we wanted this to have. Ultimately, we just wanted this to be a really fun experience that the entire family can enjoy and that it fits nicely within everything else in Minion Land."
Along with the Minions, guests will also get to meet Rosita, Gunter, and Johnny from the “Sing” films. Aiell said the theatre gives each character a chance to have their own "red carpet premiere" as an entrance piece.
Theme park-goers can expect more characters in the future, as Aiell says their goal is to continue introducing more fan favorites to the line-up as Illumination produces more content.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Minion Land officially opens at Universal Orlando Florida. Your guide
