Time for another Rising Sun already? Man, I think I found a movie that’s better than Frozen, but first let’s talk a little history.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica was many things to many people. It was a director’s attempt to breathe life into a stale genre, a writer’s search for self-redemption, a fledgling artist’s big break, but above all it was a story about being human. When the show came out in 2011, fans fell in love with the show instantly and brought in a fortune for distributor Aniplex. So saying a sequel was expected is an understatement. Said sequel, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Rebellion Story, was an amazing film and a fluid continuation of the storyline in unexpected ways.

The Rebellion Story opens in an unusual fashion, by showing the five protagonists having fun while they’re protecting Mitakihara City. All the while, Homura begins to suspect that something’s off and decides to investigate. This opening serves the same purpose as the first two episodes of the TV series, to conceal the show’s true nature. This time however, it’s to make you feel uneasy. There’s something strange about seeing middle school girls having fun and thinking “This is wrong. Something horrible is about to happen!” But when the charade ends and the film kicks into high gear, the movie gives you a tour-de-force look into Homura’s worldview and more detail about her relationship with the other characters, which links it together with an equally surprising, but still genius resolution.

With Madoka making the jump to theatrical animation, a step-up in production values was called to order. The film’s animation is spectacular as always, but more unique. The collage-like animation in the series is still there, but there’s also stop-motion animation with plushies blended in. This provides an surreal look and proceeds to dominate the movie until the climax, giving us a look at animation’s true potential.

The soundtrack is as skillfully crafted as the rest of the movie, with composer Yuki Kajiura and performers ClariS and Kalafina returning with the rest of the staff. The background music emphasizes the surrealness of the film’s landscape. The lyrics in some of the songs shows that art transcends cultures, alternating languages from Japanese to German to just plain gibberish, but it pays off in creating that mystical, elusive feel Kajiura goes for.

It’s a shame that The Rebellion Story never got the Academy Award nomination that it was submitted for in 2013, but at least I can say that the film tops Frozen in many respects. So if you’re looking for a unique new film to watch or if you’re a returning fan, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Rebellion Story is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and is the for-sure film of the year!