A family was caught up in controversy at Universal Orlando Resort after a member of their party unexpectedly jumped off the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride. The incident, filmed by one of the man’s children, quickly went viral after being posted on social media, sparking widespread discussion among theme park fans.
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a simulator ride located in Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida. The attraction is one of the rare few that transitioned from 3-D to 2-D, eliminating guests needing to wear 3-D glasses to enjoy the ride’s storyline. Once the ride begins, vehicles move in sync with the film, revealing mechanisms designed to make the experience even more immersive.
On July 8, TikTok user @its.sanaiyah posted a video taken during her visit to Universal Orlando Resort. She was filming her sister, who was scared of Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Suddenly, her father climbed out of his safety restraints and jumped from the moving ride vehicle, which could be a drop of up to eight feet.
@its.sanaiyah Mind y’all this my dad. I was recording my sister crying next thing I know my dad hoping out his seat. #heokay #universalstudios #mysisterisokayshewasjustoverreactingasusual #funny #orlando #florida
Seconds after the guest jumped off, Universal team members immediately stopped the attraction. Other riders witnessed the overhead lights turning on, signaling a sudden halt in the ride’s effects.
The video quickly amassed over 340,000 views and 34,000 comments, sparking concern from Universal Parks fans. Many worried that the man could have seriously injured himself and were vocal about how dangerous the act could have been. Some also questioned whether there should have been consequences for his actions.
“That’s an easy way to get a ban girl,” said @peeonmemom. “Those cars lift off the ground with huge pneumatics leaving giant holes in the ground that he could fall in and get crushed. Y’all got really lucky.”
“Yeah don’t do that,” @fake.nerd agreed. “If you step off that ride wrong, you will drop like 8 feet.”
In a follow-up video, @its.sanaiyah explained that her father had actually been experiencing a medical emergency. “If he hadn’t gotten off the ride, he probably would’ve had a stroke or heart attack,” she said.
@its.sanaiyah Replying to @Noenemiesonlylove
She further explained that Universal Orlando Resort was understanding of the situation and compensated the family with new tickets to return on another day.
“That was actually our first ride of the day,” she explained. “We had just gotten to the park…He was saying that he was already feeling a little bad but he was just thinking because he didn’t have his caffeine, that it was just a caffeine headache.”
While most fans were relieved to hear that the TikToker’s dad was okay, many advised that in similar situations, guests should handle things differently. Instead of risking injury by jumping from a moving ride, they suggested that guests should instead wave their arms or shout to flag down ride attendants.
“I get that he was having an emergency but he absolutely could have waved down a ride attendant to stop the ride safely,” @gordita.ari wrote. “He could have gotten seriously injured.”
Universal Orlando Resort also reminds guests to read the safety warnings for attractions before riding, especially if they have any health conditions that could be affected by certain experiences.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen another theme park guest do? Share your story with Disney Dining in the comments!
