UNIVERSAL STUDIOS (Day 5 - part 9)

Back in the Upper Lot again, we found ourselves in old Europe.

A Minion stands guard.

Despicable Me was a 2010 animated comedy which followed the adventures of Gru (a longtime yet often unsuccessful supervillain), his adopted daughters (Margo, Edith, and Agnes) and his Minions (strange yellow creatures with grey goggles and mumbling speech).

In Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, which opened in 2014, guests get hit with a shrinking ray and become Minions. As with the Kung Fu Panda ride, the motion simulator attraction did not require 3D glasses and the seats moved in accordance with the action-packed animated movie. And again, we were given a detailed story of what (and why) we were about to experience.

We (the audience) are being recruited to become Minions, assuming we can make it through the rigorous training (the ride). After several videos which explain about the new device which will enable our physical conversion from human form, as well as what is expected from a Minion, we are allowed in the theater. The high-action movie was fast, cute and, of course, filled with countless Minions.

We didn't have much time left so decided to hit Harry Potter one more time. We did the big ride again as well as a few smaller attractions.

The Flight of the Hippogriff was a mild but very fun outdoor roller coaster, installed in 2016. A hippogriff (from hippo meaning horse, and grifo meaning griffin) is a legendary creature that is part eagle (head and wings) and part horse (back legs and tail). It was invented in the early 1500s. Its mother is a mare and its father is a griffin (another mythical creature with the head of an eagle and body of a lion).

In Ollivander's Wand Shop, we got a short tour. One kid was chosen to be "fitted" for a wand. The wand keeper measured her then selected a wand and showed her how to cast a spell. Of course, each spell goes wrong... books fly off the shelves, etc. Eventually the right wand is found.

As the sun began to set, we made our way out of the park.

The exit gate ... and City Walk

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