MILAN (AP) — The Minions made it.

After a music rights dispute that took over the Winter Olympics, Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate donned his yellow-and-blue costume and brought the mischievous spirit of the Minions to Milan in the men’s short program Monday.

“It felt amazing” despite nerves and an early mistake, he said, after a distinctive skate to a soundtrack that starts with peals of laughter from the lovable children’s characters, who were introduced as the henchmen of criminal mastermind Gru in “Despicable Me.”

Sabate said the Minions are a way to express himself “even though I’m a little bit shy at the beginning,” and the dispute has shown just how much support he really has.

Sabate had been performing the fan-favorite program all season, thinking he already had the proper approval. It all changed suddenly last week when he revealed he’d been told he couldn’t use the music.

“When I did my post I was certain I wouldn’t do the Minions,” he said after skating Tuesday. “That’s why I did the post, as a way of warning the people, whoever expects the Minions at the Olympics, ‘I’m sorry but don’t, unfortunately it’s not gonna happen.’ I can’t expose myself to getting sued.”

He was stunned by the outpouring of support on social media as he tried to persuade the likes of Universal Studios and musician and producer Pharrell Williams to grant him the rights to skate to a medley of music related to the Minions, who have since appeared in several “Despicable Me” sequels and their own spinoffs. The final approval came through Friday.