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Universal Orlando begins dropping hints for upcoming replacement to Jimmy Neutron ride, rumored to involve ‘Despicable Me’

in Entertainment, Theme Parks, Universal Orlando

Posted on by Ricky Brigante 2 Comments
Someone sketches plans for a new attraction with a red marker, while a banana on the table offers a cheeky nod to Despicable Me and its Minions at Universal Orlando.

Universal Orlando has not yet announced the ride replacing Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast when it closes on August 18, 2011. But today they have begun teasing photo hints as to what the attraction might be.

A few minutes ago on Twitter and Facebook, Universal posted the following image:

Theme park enthusiast at their desk, pen in hand and documents spread out, office shelves in the background and a banana nearby—likely daydreaming about Universal Orlando adventures or reliving the thrills of Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.
(Click to enlarge)

It was captioned: “Here’s the first UORHint: We captured this photo of Thierry Coup, Senior Vice President of the Creative Studio, working in his office at Universal Creative. What do you think he is working on?”

Taking a closer look at the plans Coup is writing on reveals…

An imaginative fan sketches new Despicable Me adventure ideas at their desk, red marker in hand, surrounded by documents and a banana—clearly inspired by memories of Universal Orlando’s classic Jimmy Neutron ride.

…nothing much. However, it may not be the plans that are the hint. That yellow banana seems all too important. Could it be the return of King Kong to Universal Studios? Unlikely.

Instead, rumors point to a ride themed after the recent film “Despicable Me” and that banana could certainly tie in. There was a “mini-movie” featuring bananas, starring those lovable Minions from the film:

UPDATE: The Code Blak blog has posted an even more astute observation, suggesting the shadow cast by Coup’s hand closely resembles the silhouette of Gru, the lead character of “Despicable Me” – and I have to agree:

A guest sketches Gru from Despicable Me at Universal Orlando, capturing the iconic villain’s cheerful pose with a red pen as the real Gru character smiles nearby, evoking the park’s fun meet-and-greet moments.

On their Facebook page, Universal Orlando did mention that they planned on digitally altering the images, inserting possible clues. And this may be the first.

But we’ll have to wait for more hints from Universal before we can say for sure if “Despicable Me” or another theme take over the Jimmy Neutron spot the park.

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