Universal Studios sets opening day for Minion Land

Minion Land will open officially to the public at Universal Studios theme park on Aug. 11, Universal Orlando announced.

Portions of the area have been open or in technical rehearsals for a few weeks. Visitors have had some availability to Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast attraction, the centerpiece of the land, which is near the entrance of the theme park and across the street from the existing Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction.

Minion Land also includes Minion Cafe, which stands on the basic footprint of the former Universal Classic Monsters Cafe. Other new aspects include Bake My Day, which features sweets; Pop-A-Nana, which sells banana-flavored popcorn; Freeze-Ray Pops with frozen treats; Evil Stuff retail store, built into the exit of Minion Blast; and Illumination Theater, a facade that serves as a backdrop for a meet-and-greet for characters from “Despicable Me” and “Sing.”

Minion Blast, which takes over the space formerly held by the Shrek 4-D attraction, puts participants on a moving sidewalk with a handheld blaster to aim at on-screen targets as they glide by. It’s themed to the “Vicious 6” villains seen in “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” a 2022 animated film.

Universal Studios is also preparing a land based on DreamWorks characters. It is expected to open next year where a handful of KidZone attractions were removed in January.

Tribune News Service