A family was compensated after a member of their party jumped off the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride at Universal Orlando Resort. One of the man’s children filmed and posted the incident on social media, sparking controversy among theme park fans.
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a simulator ride in Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida and four other Universal Parks around the world. The attraction is one of a rare few that has transitioned from 3-D to 2-D, removing the need for guests to wear special glasses to experience the storyline on screen. After the ride begins, the vehicles move to reveal mechanisms that move them around in sync with the film.
On July 8, TikTok user @its.sanaiyah shared this video taken on Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at Universal Orlando Resort. The Universal Park guest said she was filming her sister, who was scared of the ride, when her father suddenly climbed out of his safety restraints and jumped from the moving attraction:
@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
A7-BBH | MAN 
Seconds after the man jumped off the ride vehicle (a drop of as much as eight feet), Universal team members stopped the ride and presumably apprehended the guest. Other riders watched as the overhead lights came on and the special effects stopped.
The video amassed more than 340,000 views and 34,000 comments. Many Universal Parks fans were concerned that the man could’ve seriously injured himself, and said he should’ve faced consequences for his behavior.
“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, the TikToker explained that her father had 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 added that Universal Orlando Resort was understanding about 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 Universal Parks fans were happy that the TikToker’s dad was okay, they warned that others should handle similar situations differently. Instead of risking a fall into dangerous ride mechanics, guests are encouraged to wave their arms or shout to flag down team members for help.
“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 guests are also encouraged to read attraction safety warnings before visiting to ensure they don’t have any health conditions that could be negatively impacted by riding.
Should the Universal Orlando Resort guest have handled this situation differently? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments!
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