The Universal Orlando Resort just announced it’s most recent attraction, “Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast”. Themed after the popular Despicable Me movies, this attraction officially opened in August 2023 and has become one of the more popular rides at Universal.
Located in the former Shrek 4D building in Production Central just past the main entrance to Universal Studios Florida, Villain-Con Minion Blast will be a family-friendly interactive “blaster” game where guests compete in a shooting style game in an effort to join the ranks of the super villains.
Villain-Con will be across from the Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem attraction and just adjacent to the new the forthcoming “Minion Cafe. These attraction will form an all new “Minion Land” on Illumination Ave.
Villain-Con Backstory
First introduced in the “Minions” movie back in 2015, Villain-Con is “the biggest criminal convention on the planet”. There is where Stuart, Kevin & Bob first encounter the dastardly Scarlet Overkill. The attraction is set within this “convention” and guests was compete to be part of “The Vicious 6”.
Fans of the movie franchise will recall that The Vicious 6 were part of the most recent movie, “Minions: The Rise of Gru”.
About the Ride
According to Universal, “Villain-Con Minion Blast combines innovative screen technology, state-of-the-art gaming interactivity and elaborate physical sets to create a one-of-a-kind, game-based adventure where guests encounter immersive environments, nefarious villains and tons of mischievous Minions from Illumination’s films in a whole new way“.
What will make this attraction unique is that riders will remain standing on a moving pathway as they “wind and glide through various scenes where they earn points by lasting a variety of items and causing as much mayhem and destruction as possible.”
Guests are provided an “E-Liminator X” blaster which is equipped with a variety of different of different settings including Banana Bombs, Explosive Numchucks and, of course, Freeze Ray.
After boarding a slow moving walkway, guests use the blasters to shoot a variety of targets on 3D video screens. Like Men in Black: Alien Attack, the goal is to shoot the targets and score points. The better your shot, the more points you will score.
Guests can even sync their blaster with the Universal mobile app which can track their score and unlock some unique missions, perks and blasts.
Minion Land on Illumination Avenue
The all new Villain-Con Minion Blast attraction is part of the all new Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida. Illumination’s Minion Land is part of a retheming of Production Central which is located just after the main entrance to the theme park.
Illumination’s Minion Land include:
- Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast
- Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ™
- Illumination’s Minion Cafe
- Bake My Day
- Freeze Ray Pops
- Pop-A-Nana
One of the most popular places along Illumination Avenue is the Minion Cafe. There’s a lot of great themed dishes to sample and guests will find host of themed decorations throughout the restaurant.
Click here to learn more about Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida
Where Should We Stay When Visiting the Universal Orlando Resort?
The Universal Orlando Resort has a number of great on site hotels at Universal and each and every one of them have their own benefits, characteristics and price points.
There are multiple “categories” of hotels which are as follows:
- Premier Hotels & Resorts
- Preferred & Value Hotels and Resorts
- Prime Value Hotels and Resorts
Premier category hotels include the Lowe’s Portofino Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel and the Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Although higher in price, the added benefit of the free Universal Express Unlimited (TM) is well worth the expense. Once you experience unlimited front of the line access, it is VERY difficult to go back to a theme park without it.
Check out all the Universal on-site hotels and resorts as well as our recommended off site local area hotels by CLICKING HERE.
