Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie -Walpurgisnacht: Rising-

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie -Walpurgisnacht: Rising- is the long-awaited new chapter of the Madoka Magica story. It opened in Japan on August 28, 2026, and runs for about 120 minutes. It was made by the studio Shaft and produced by Aniplex. The team from the 2013 film Rebellion returned. Akiyuki Shinbo is chief director, Yukihiro Miyamoto directs, Gen Urobuchi writes the script, and Yuki Kajiura composes the music. Aniplex of America handles release in North America.

This film took a very long time to reach theaters. A sequel to Rebellion was officially announced in April 2021, during the franchise's tenth anniversary event. Its tagline invited fans to continue the story. The release was then pushed back several times: from winter 2024, to early 2025, to February 2026, and finally to August 2026. Urobuchi first began writing ideas for it as early as 2014. The final film uses his script with large changes, especially in its second half.

To understand this film, it helps to know the series. Madoka Magica began as a 2011 TV anime. It looks at first like a cute magical girl story. Magical girls are a classic anime type: young girls who get special powers and fight evil. But the show soon reveals a much darker side. Girls make a contract with a strange creature and gain powers, but they must then fight witches, and the true cost of that deal is terrible. The main characters are Madoka Kaname, a kind and gentle girl, and Homura Akemi, a quiet, determined girl who would do anything to protect her. After the TV series, the story continued in the film Rebellion, which ended in a surprising way. This new movie is a direct follow-up to that film, so viewers should watch the series and Rebellion first.

Walpurgisnacht: Rising once again centers on Homura. At the start, the world seems peaceful. But a dangerous new enemy appears, and it is connected to Walpurgisnacht, a legendary and very powerful witch that fans of the series will remember. Homura is forced to look back at the choices she has made and to face their results. Most of all, she must decide what she is willing to do to keep Madoka safe.

Like the rest of the franchise, the film is known for its unusual, dreamlike art. Its witch worlds look like strange paper collages, created by the art group Gekidan Inu Curry. The music is dramatic, and the mood mixes beauty with fear and sadness. It is a story about love, sacrifice, and the price of wishes. Kajiura has said she aimed for a restrained score for this film. It is a must-see for fans who have waited more than ten years to learn what happens next.