Did someone say sequins? You are not going to want to miss this new Disney Halloween Loungefly! Disney x Loungefly Collaboration One piece of merch that has definitely risen to fame among Disney Parks fans is the Loungefly mini backpack. You would be hard-pressed to spend five minutes wandering any Disney park without encountering multiple […]
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We all know Hot Topic has a very specific look and feel, but along with some of their edgier products are plenty of awesome Star Wars items too. In fact their website is so full of Star Wars goodies that we’re breaking things down a bit into some of our favorite characters and movies. Today, […]
The post R2-D2 at Hot Topic – Accessories, Apparel, and Artwork Featuring the Astromech appeared first on LaughingPlace.com.
This past weekend at the Midsummer Scream 2023 Halloween and horror convention in Southern California, I was invited to participate in “The Boogeyman Experience” immersive activation in promotion of 20th Century Studios’ acclaimed The Boogeyman film arriving on home media. Having seen and enjoyed the film, I was excited to see what the studio had in store for […]
The post Immersive Review: “The Boogeyman Experience” Plunges Midsummer Scream 2023 Attendees Into the Dark appeared first on LaughingPlace.com.
This is BIG Disney news. Bog Iger has reached out to former Disney Executives for help. Bob Iger Extends Contract Bob Iger returned to Disney in November 2022. Since returning, one of his key focuses has been changes to Disney’s streaming service, Disney+. The Walt Disney Company has shared that his vision with the company […]
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Are you ready to blast your way to become the newest member of the Vicious 6? Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast will officially open on August 11, but the attraction is currently in technical rehearsals at Universal Studios Florida.
As part of the Villain-Con Minion Blast experience, Universal has debuted a new connected gameplay feature through the Universal Orlando app. The new feature allows guests to create a custom profile and sync their blaster at the attraction to keep track of their scores and much more. Once you choose your villain name and icon, you can connect with friends, complete missions, collect virtual trophies, pick up loot, and track progress during repeated visits to Villain-Con Minion Blast. How does it work? Let’s take a trip to Villain-Con and find out.
Villain-Con Minion Blast opened at Universal Studios Florida for technical rehearsals on July 15 and has been operating intermittently ever since, but the promised feature of syncing scores with the Universal Orlando Resort app was not yet available until now.
Once you download the Universal Orlando app, open it and find the “Villain-Con Connected Gameplay” section on the first page.
Team Members can assist you or you can scan one of the QR codes in the queue if you’re having trouble locating the connected gameplay in the app. Once you open the page up, tap “play” and you can create a profile.
The app will give you a brief introduction and explanation of how to use the different features, but the Team Members are also happy to help. The Team Members we spoke with were all extremely knowledgeable and did a fantastic job explaining all the different features in the app.
Under player settings in “options”, guests can choose their own name and icon for their profile. This page also allows you to connect with other players and add more players. Choose your name, character icon, and background color to create your profile. The name on your profile will appear on your blaster and on the scoreboards.
You can create multiple players in one app, which is perfect for parents and kids. Once everyone has their blaster, you will switch to each player to connect their blaster in the loading area.
You can find other players and follow them, too. This is a great way to connect with friends and family for competitive play. Now that we’re all set up with our profile, let’s explore some of the fun new ways to play.
One of the best parts of this app is that it creates new challenges to keep you coming back. There is a page of “trophies” you can unlock by completing different tasks. Clicking on one of these will give you a description of what you need to do in order to unlock that achievement.
For example, to earn the “Derby Destructor” trophy, you must destroy 25 of Svengeance’s roller derby bots. The tasks vary in difficulty, so some will be more challenging than others.
Under options, you can get gameplay tips, learn about unlocking skins, collecting loot, and unlocking perks. Collecting loot refers to picking up virtual “collectibles” both inside and outside of the attraction. There is a list of virtual items you can collect by interacting with specific objects around Minion Land and by blasting items during the ride. Like trophies, the collectibles will show up with a lock symbol next to them until you find them.
There are “Outside” and “Inside” collectibles to find. The ones you find outside of the ride will be collected by tapping “Collect Loot with Phone” and touching your phone to the item. It will then pick up the virtual item for your collection.
As you go through the actual attraction, keep your eyes open for other collectibles from the list. You can pick these up by blasting them on the screen. Some of these items can be tricky to spot amidst the chaos, so be sure to review the list before playing.
Need another reason to come back to Villain-Con? Seasonal skins can be unlocked by visiting Villain-Con Minion Blast each month. Once you’ve unlocked a skin, it’s yours. You can customize your blaster in the lab to take advantage of some of these extra features.
In “The Lab,” you can customize your blaster’s features with skins and perks. One of the first things we would recommend is tapping the “perks” icon on the top right corner of the blaster diagram.
Perks are unlocked by leveling up and can be used to modify your blaster, making it more powerful. For example, we unlocked the Force Multiburst perk at Level 1, which creates a multiburst of the force ammunition. You can unlock new perks as you level up.
If you tap your score at the top right corner on the home screen, you can see how many more points you need to reach the next level.
There are also different mission you can accept. We took on this mission to blast 12 shiny Vicious 6 medallions in a single round. With each mission you complete, a new mission unlocks.
You may notice some bugs are not quite worked out in the app. Some letters appear boxy and gray, but the attraction is still in technical rehearsals. We had no problems syncing the blaster to the app, though.
When you pick up your blaster in the Villain-Con Minion Blast queue, open up the app and choose “Sync Blaster” on the home page. The “ready to scan” screen will pop up next. Simply tap your phone to the blaster, near the display screen, and the screen with turn green with a message that says you have successfully paired the blaster and app. Next, your name will appear on the blaster as well as the color and icon for the ride.
At the end of the attraction, you can see your score on the blaster and in the app. If you make it into Today’s Top 30 Villains, your name and points will appear on the scoreboard in the Evil Stuff gift shop. You can see UniNews Annie ranked #15 on the board.
Villain-Con Minion Blast and Minion Land will officially open on August 11, 2023. There will be Annual Passholder previews in early August. As technical rehearsals continue, app syncing may not always be available.
There is a possibility of seeing more of these types of “Universal Play” activities in the future. Earlier this year, Universal selected a small group of Annual Passholders to participate in a testing experience collecting points with an AR viewer in the Universal Orlando app. We think there could be even more interactive features tested in the parks ahead of Epic Universe opening. Super Nintendo World features connected gameplay, too, with Power-Up Bands and the Universal Studios Hollywood app.
What do you think of the addition of the new connected gameplay features for Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast? Are you excited to check out some of the missions and compete against your friends and family? Let us know if you think you can make the daily top 30 and stay tuned for more updates.
For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.
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Two former Disney executives, Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer, have been enlisted in a consulting capacity by Disney to help “analyze and develop strategic options for ESPN,” according to Variety. What’s Happening: Staggs and Meyer, co-CEOs of Candle Media, have returned to Disney in a consulting capacity. Staggs, formerly Disney’s chief operating officer, and Mayer, […]
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Disney’s Haunted Mansion film materialized in theaters last weekend but the box officer earnings of the new film aren’t exactly raising spirits. According to Variety, the new film earned just $24.6 million domestically, with a worldwide total of $33 million. That leaves the movie with a steep hill to climb to reach the $150 million threshold […]
The post Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” Finishes Third in Weekend Box Office, Behind “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” appeared first on LaughingPlace.com.
Orange County Chick-Fil-A locations will once again be hosting CHOC Day later this week, with all proceeds from cookie and brownie sales benefitting the organization. What’s Happening: Chick-Fil-A Locations in Orange County, California will be hosting CHOC day on Friday, August 4th, in support of Children’s Hospital of Orange County. CHOC Day, also known as […]
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Rock band The Fray will replace The Bacon Brothers in the Eat to the Beat Concert Series at the 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.
The Bacon Brothers were removed from the lineup a few weeks ago for an unspecified reason, but possibly due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. As a member of the union, Kevin Bacon may not have been allowed to perform for Disney, even for a non-acting gig.
The Fray is known for their debut album “How to Save a Life” and the single of the same name. The current members are Joe King, Dave Welsh, and Ben Wysocki. They’ll perform on August 13 and 14, 2023.
Eat to the Beat Dining Packages are available at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Biergarten Restaurant, Coral Reef Restaurant, Garden Grill Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Spice Road Table, and Regal Eagle Smokehouse (same-day dining packages only). The packages include a meal and guaranteed seats at an Eat to the Beat concert on the same evening.
Eat to the Beat Dining Packages are not available Tuesdays through Thursdays, when local acts perform.
The 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival runs from July 27 through November 18. Check out all of our EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival reviews. Four new Global Marketplaces — Char & Chop, Wine & Wedge, Bubbles & Brine, and Swirled Showcase — will open in the fall.
What do you think of this switch? Are you a fan of The Fray? Let us know in the comments.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The post The Fray Replaces The Bacon Brothers for Eat to the Beat Concert Series at EPCOT appeared first on WDW News Today.
Paul Reubens, the legendary actor best known for portraying Pee-Wee Herman, passed away at 70 after a private battle with cancer.
The announcement was posted Monday morning on the official Pee-Wee Herman Facebook page.
Some Disney fans may not know Reubens portrayed Captain Rex (RX-24), the droid captain of the StarSpeeder 3000, on the original Star Tours attraction. Reubens also voiced the DJ Rex character in Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Paul Reubens – Our Captain, our DJ, our Rex.
pic.twitter.com/0Io2Tpr59O
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) July 31, 2023
Pee-Wee Herman photo by Alan Light
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