This colorful section of Universal Studio Hollywood is an instant hit with kids—and anyone else who has a soft spot for the banana-colored stars of the Despicable Me movies. Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem is a motion-simulator ride: You sit, buckled into your seat, while the floor lifts and tilts and you seemingly careen inside a 3-D movie. The ride lets you into the home of the seemingly villainous (but otherwise hapless) Gru, where you bounce, plunge, and plummet through a Minion training mission. And all that excitement ends with a wild dance party. Even waiting to board the ride is entertaining, with multiple screens showing bits of wisdom from Gru and his right-hand Minions like Dave, Stuart, and Lance.
Keep the Minion theme going by visiting the adjacent Super Silly Fun Land, which brings alive the carnival from the first movie with fountains, wet and dry play areas, and the classic-style Silly Swirly Fun Ride, which gives you a full view of all of the hijinks below. Try to win one of the movie’s famous stuffed unicorns in a game, or shop for them—along with character dolls and a “fart-gun” that really smells like bananas—in the Minion Mayhem gift shop.