Villian-Con Minion Blast soft opened to guests on July 15 at Universal Studios Florida. Universal refers to this soft opening as, “Technical rehearsal” where the attraction will be run at certain times throughout the day to test it before the official opening date. It does mean that some effects may not be running and there is no guarantee it will be working if you decide to visit the park. We expect to hear news of an official opening date very soon.
More details have been revealed about Villian-Con Minion Blast with Bioreconstruct posting photos of a number of Convention booths found in the queue area. These can be seen below.
According to a tweet by Bioreconstruct the proper designed stand-by line in now in use, previously guests were queueing the other side of the wall.
An interesting change today at Villian-Con Minion Blast. Guests used the designed stand-by queue.
Other side of this wall was queue in previous days of soft opening. Other side is for Universal Express. pic.twitter.com/w67weexZVG
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) July 19, 2023
It was back in December 2022 when we got the news that Universal and Minions fans had been waiting for. Universal confirmed that Villian-Con Minion Blast will open at Universal Studios Florida in summer 2023. Well, that time is nearly upon us and Universal has just released new details outlining everything we have to look forward to.
“Located at the entrance to Minion Land, Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast blends immersive sets, interactive game-based technology, custom animation and an original storyline to create a one-of-a-kind blaster attraction where guests can put their villainous skills to the ultimate test.
Upon entering the attraction, guests will immediately be transported to Villain-Con – the largest convention for villains around the globe – where the headlining event is a challenge to see who has what it takes to become the newest member of the notorious supervillain group, the Vicious 6, featured in the hit film, “Minions: Rise of Gru.” As guests make their way through the convention, they’ll venture through the trade show floor, stocked with the latest gadgets, vehicles, and fashion to pull off the most heinous schemes, before picking up an “E-Liminator X” blaster to compete against their friends, loved ones and fellow guests to prove how bad they really are.
Throughout the competition, guests will use their blaster – equipped with Freeze Rays, Banana Bombs, Explosive Nunchucks and more – to cause as much mayhem and destruction as possible to earn points. As they wind and glide through the experience aboard a moving pathway, they’ll encounter each member of the Vicious 6, voiced by the original cast from the film, in a setting inspired by their character, including:
- Belle Bottom (voiced by Taraji P. Henson), the cool, confident leader of the Vicious 6, in a groovy disco
- Stronghold (voiced by Danny Trejo) – named after his giant iron hands – in a museum filled with tons of fragile and priceless art just waiting to be destroyed
- Nun-Chuck (voiced by Lucy Lawless), a fierce warrior with prized nun-chucks who will travel aboard her flying organ as she challenges guests to create musical mayhem
- Jean Clawed (voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme) – outfitted with a giant mechanical lobster claw – in an evil, underwater lair filled with hidden loot and robotic sea creatures
- and Svengeance (voiced by Dolph Lundgren), the roller-skating champion with spiked skates, in a floating roller derby filled with blimps, jumbo-trons, and speed-skating robots
Villain-Con Minion Blast will also be 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. The more guests play and the higher they score, the more perks and bragging rights they’ll earn. Plus, this digital experience connects to the visitor’s Universal Guest Account within the Universal Orlando app – unlocking a deeper connection that enhances their in-park experience and sets the stage for even more digital-to-physical world benefits.”
It was confirmed that Management Team Members, Executives and regular Team Members were able to test Villian-Con Minion Blast on July 12, which is a great sign that we will see this highly anticipated attraction opening very soon at Universal Studios Florida. We will keep you posted on the official opening date as soon as it is announced.
We have been tracking the developments with this exciting new attraction over the last few months which can be seen below. Back in March, work was being done on the exterior to Villian-Con Minion Blast with the large V and logo at the entrance to the attraction appearing.
Current work at front of Villian-Con Minion Blast. pic.twitter.com/FsSwRvIJAf
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) March 21, 2023
The exterior of the building which will house the new walk-through attraction which is taking over the location of the former Shrek 4-D attraction has now been completely transformed.
BREAKING: Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast is coming to Universal Orlando Summer 2023. Put your skills to the ultimate test as you attempt to blast your way to supervillain stardom.
Sign up for email updates at https://t.co/jvwBrsmJek pic.twitter.com/9IsdUk8eOT
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) December 8, 2022
In February we saw photos online of the facade and queue line showing the additions of a number of posters. Majority of the work, however, is going on inside the attraction itself and will we have to wait a little longer to see the progress which has been made there.
Villain-Con banners in the Minion Blast queue. pic.twitter.com/huWAmTpzqV
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 10, 2023
As predicted, Villian-Con Minion Blast will be based on the first minions movie with guests getting the opportunity to experience Village-Con through this “interactive, blaster game experience.”
Guests aim to join The Vicious 6 by impressing them with their villian skills through a series of tests. The attraction is set to use a combination of detailed physical sets and the latest gaming technology to create an amazing new experience. We are promised to come face to face with tons of Minions and villians in this upcoming Villian-Con Minion Blast attraction.
As expected, in the former location of the Classic Universal Monsters Cafe will be the Minions Cafe. We are also promised other Minions themed additions which make this area into the new “Minion Land on Illumination Ave.”
Are you excited by the news of the upcoming Villian-Con Minion Blast? Do you think Universal is making the right decision to create a whole land dedicated to Minions? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
