Minions’ HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride Coming to Universal Kids Resort

Written by Joshua Posted August 10th, 2025

The Minions take center stage when Universal Kids Resort opens next year. Their land, situated in the heart of the park, will feature a HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride with Whirlpool, a Zamperla 2-turntable Demolition Derby, a splash pad, and a meet-and-greet area. In this article, we’re focusing on the main attraction.

Whitewater raft rides are always popular, and in Texas’s scorching summers, they’re practically a necessity. But the HAFEMA model has an added twist – a whirlpool. It creates the illusion that the boats are being sucked into a vortex, only to have them drop down a waterfall to the river below. The effect should feel real for Universal Kids’ younger demographic, and it’s the detail that helped @Aahs n Oohs identify the ride back in February.

HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride with Whirlpool — A raft heading down the HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride waterfall. Copyright HAFEMA.

Minions Land concept art — Minions land concept art. Copyright Universal.

In addition to whitewater thrills, the attraction offers other excitement. Based on renderings, yellow Minions and their purple alter egos line the course, spraying boats as they pass. Bridges leading to the Minions’ land also have water cannons. We’re unsure whether they’ll be automatic or if non-riders will be able to douse people on the boats.

HAFEMA construction

Construction of the Minions’ HAFEMA is almost complete. Unfortunately, its recessed design and central location in the park make getting photos on the ground nearly impossible. So we’ve had to rely on aerial videos from Texney and others to see the ride’s progress.

Texney's aerial shot of a Minions' HAFEMA whitewater ride coming to Universal Kids Resort — Screenshot from Texney’s aerial footage of the Minions’ HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride

The aerial footage also lets us compare Frisco’s attraction with a version installed years ago at Wild Adventures Theme Park near Valdosta, Georgia. That ride, the Tasmanian River Rapids, is nearly identical to the Minion’s version, but Frisco’s ride includes a large lagoon near the return conveyor belt. The water backs up to the SpongeBob SquarePants and Jurassic World lands, effectively providing a water feature for three areas of the park. That detail is reflected in the concept art.

Satellite view of Tasmanian River Rapids at Wild Adventures Theme Park — Satellite view of the Tasmanian River Rapids at Wild Adventures Theme Park

Universal Kids Resort's Minions land, Jurassic World, and SpongeBob SquarePants land border the HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride's lagoon — Universal Kids Resort’s Minions land, Jurassic World, and SpongeBob SquarePants land border the HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride’s lagoon. Copyright Universal.

Ride vehicles

Recently, three HAFEMA ride vehicles arrived in the Universal Kids staging lot. Reminiscent of Omnimover vehicles, Aahs confirmed that they are three segments of a single water raft. The pieces will eventually be hinged together and wrapped with a flotation tube.

HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride vehicle. Copyright HAFEMA.

HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride vehicle on the conveyor belt — Loading a HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride vehicle. Copyright HAFEMA.

Alongside the vehicles, I spotted aluminum sheets and steel beams likely intended for the ride’s conveyor belt. The continuously running belt lifts boats fully out of the water, and its slow speed (0.25 meters per second) should make for easy loading and unloading. According to HAFEMA, the ride is also highly accessible: “Thanks to low-level vessels, even wheelchair users can use the system without any risk.”

Update (November 10, 2025): While they’ve been on site for months, I’ve only been able to get partial images of the ride’s massive water pumps. That changed yesterday when I was able to snap a clean photo of two HAFEMA 140 kW main submersible pumps. I doubt they’ll have any problem moving those Minion boats toward the whirlpool.

HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride submersible water pumps

The HAFEMA Wild Raft Ride should be a guest favorite – not just for its relief on brutally hot days, but for its Yellow vs. Purple Minions theme. That rivalry extends throughout the entire land. Last June, Universal submitted plans to the City of Frisco ahead of a hotel mural vote, and one slide featured a “Minions vs. Minions” logo showcasing both colors. We’re unsure if that branding is for the HAFEMA ride or the land itself.