Universal's Despicable Me Ride | Minion Mayhem Ride. May 2021

Would you like being bonked on the head, zapped with a weapons-grade laser, and launched down an enormous slide onto a giant cactus? Of course you would! And we've got the perfect attraction for you. You can endure these motion-simulated calamities and many more at Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.

Thrill Scale (0=Wimpy!, 10=Yikes!): 3.5
Fairly mild motion simulator thrills. If you are prone to motion sickness, you could experience discomfort (although shutting your eyes should prevent queasiness). There are stationary seats available upon request. The ride also features simulated coaster-like action—but in a non-realistic, cartoony way.
Attraction type: Motion simulator ride
Location: Production Central at Universal Studios Florida, part of Universal Orlando. Upper Lot at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Height requirement: 40 inches
Help the Scourge of Humanity in His Evil Plans
In Florida, the attraction is housed in the same building that previously was the home of the Nickelodeon-populated Jimmy Neutron ride. Before that, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, a ride that dates back to the opening of Universal Studios Florida, occupied the spot. The generic soundstage motif that characterized the exteriors of the previous attractions is augmented a bit with the addition of Gru's house to the front of the building. The Hollywood version repurposed the building that hosted the Terminator 2: 3D attraction.

Gru is the power-hungry title character in Universal's Despicable Me series of computer animated films. If you aren't familiar with the movies—and you don't need to be well versed to enjoy the ride—he is a self-styled master villain and "scourge of humanity" who, deep down, really isn't all that despicable. Voiced by Steve Carell (who is also featured in the ride along with the films' other original actors) in a vaguely Slavic accent, Gru's bluster is constantly exposed by the three adorable sisters he has adopted.
Despite his newfound domesticity, Dad loves his work and forges ahead with his world-domination schemes aided by an army of bright yellow, slapstick-prone, capsule-shaped sidekicks known as minions. The crude, yet cuddly creatures, some of whom have a single eye, also adorn the outside of the attraction. They are busy erecting billboards and engaging in other recruitment activities to entice humans into their ranks. It seems that Gru has moved his headquarters to Orlando (and Hollywood) and needs to significantly boost his battalion of minions to abet his latest nefarious plot.
That's where you come in.

Lots of Laugh-out-loud Moments
Snaking through the queue (which includes actual banana trees, the minions' food of choice), overhead monitors bring the Despicable Me-challenged up to speed and lay the groundwork for the minion-conscription storyline. Guests first enter Gru's living room, the first of two pre-shows. The building's previous attractions only had one pre-show room; Universal reallocated former backstage areas to create the extra space. It serves to both advance the story and get additional overheated visitors into air-conditioned comfort.

A video establishes the tone of the attraction: Gru barks menacing commands; his daughters deflate the rants ("He's just a big, bald teddy bear," one of them says); and the minions engage in pratfalls and clowning. Like the movies, the action is fast-paced, and there are plenty of cute, if occasionally gross, laugh-out-loud moments, largely at the expense of the indestructible minions.

"I loved The Three Stooges growing up," says Mike West, executive producer at Universal Creative. "And the minions are like the Stooges on steroids. Who doesn't love them?" (We’re not going to argue that point.)
The enlistees move to Gru's lab, the second pre-show area. Enormous video monitors depict his wobbly plan to convert humans into minions. (What could possibly go wrong?!). The girls pester Gru to allow them to lead the operation. A sub-plot is introduced that involves the one-year anniversary of the day that the not-too-despicable guy adopted his daughters.

Guests move into the main theater and take their seats in the "transformation pods." The action begins with the newly altered minions (that's us) being challenged with a series of insane tests such as evading giant fly swatters.
Stunning Technology
Amid the frantic minion exploits, the daughters intervene and add a note of heartstring-tugging to the proceedings.

“I think we strike a good balance between a fun ride and a great emotional storyline," West says, adding that that the three girls "hit the cute barometer out of the park." Indeed, unlike many Universal rides (we’re looking at you, Revenge of the Mummy), which amp up the thrills to 11, Despicable Me keeps the physical and psychological jostling relatively tame.