New at Universal Orlando this summer: a Minions ride and land, vegan butterbeer

Thanks to the magical success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando has invested heavily in its two Florida theme parks, and not a single year since 2012 has it gone without a new ride, restaurant or hotel.

And unlike Disney, which rarely closes an aging attraction, Universal Orlando has seen an ever-changing roster by replacing its older attractions with new updates.

The new star this summer is based on a funny scene in the film “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” the prequel to “Despicable Me,” when a group of villains heads to Villain-Con, an Orlando convention for supervillains and criminals from around the globe. An opening date hasn’t been announced yet but Universal Studios appears close to opening the new Villain-Con Minion Blast, replacing Shrek 4D, which closed in January 2022.

It is a walk-through shooting attraction in which you are given an interactive blaster. Then you and the minions travel through various scenes on a “motion-based pathway,” earning points for creating as much destruction as possible. The experience “combines innovative screen technology, state-of-the-art gaming interactivity and elaborate physical sets to create a one-of-a-kind, game-based adventure,” Universal said in its announcement.

A new gift shop called Evil Stuff is right across from the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem gift shop, Super Silly Stuff. With the pre-existing Despicable Me attraction, the new Villain-Con Minion Blast and the Minion Cafe, this entire section of Universal Studios Florida will be officially declared Minion Land.

Also new and already open is an escape room at Universal CityWalk called Universal’s Great Movie Escape. It is composed of two distinct, cinematic escape adventures inspired by the “Jurassic World” and “Back to the Future” films. They each have eight immersive environments with challenges, detailed sets and story lines that allow guests to step into blockbuster films. The experience is $39.99 per person and $240 for a private room for up to eight guests.

A new offering for Harry Potter fans is vegan, nondairy Butterbeer, a sweet fan-favorite drink that has hints of butterscotch and cream soda. The vegan version can be found at the Three Broomsticks restaurant in Hogsmeade and the Leaky Cauldron restaurant in Diagon Alley. It’s available in cold and frozen varieties and topped with a vegan-friendly version of the iconic Butterbeer froth.

If you go

Universal Orlando Resort: $109, $104 ages 3-9, age 3 and under free; two-park tickets $164, $159 for children. (There is a Florida resident sale right now that gives two free days with the purchase of a two-park, one-day ticket for $164.) Parking is $30, free after 6 p.m. at CityWalk. 6000 Universal Blvd., Orlando. 407-363-8000. universalorlando.com.