Rebellion Material Book
A MOVIE MADE BECAUSE THE FANS NURTURED IT
When you'd finished the film, the first thing you said was, "I want to make a film in which these characters take action." Do you feel that you were able to carry that out to the fullest?
SHINBO : Of course, I'm glad that I got it done, but I don't really feel as if I'd carried anything out. I've still got a long way to go. Story-wise, I can still go on making Rebellions if I want to, and I think Madoka could use a bit more action.
That was true of the TV series as well, but even though Madoka is the central figure of the story, it's hard to get a sense that she's active.
SHINBO : Or maybe it's just that she can't play an active role because the story centers on her so much. Regarding the story structure of this film, Madoka is there all right, but if she stood out too much from the start, it would be hard to make the story work. As a story based on the TV series, nothing should feel more out of place to the audience than Madoka's very existence, and that's why she's not very conspicuous. That's why in the first draft of the script written by Mr. (Gen) Urobuchi , Madoka has even less screen time. I asked him to give her a little more, and that's what we got.
I see. Due to the narrative flow, there were scenes that you weren't able to depict again.
SHINBO : Yes, although that can't be helped. I did want to do more with Kyoko and Sayaka's conversation. And since we'd gotten this new character, Nagisa, I wished that I could've done more with her.
STORYBOARDS DRAWN FROM HOMURA'S POV
SASAKI: Of all the images that Inu Curry gave us, the easiest to describe is the scene near the beginning, with Hitomi's nightmare. We'd already come up with the scene of Sayaka planting a kick on Bebe's stomach, then having Bebe spit out something that looked like a soul. What we asked them to add was the part right after, where Sayaka's comforting Hitomi. We wanted to show Hitomi and Sayaka's relationship in a good light there; we wanted to bring those two together. So that's what we requested.
MIYAMOTO : Workload-wise, the further we got in the second-half, the more grueling it got. Our work didn't end on a close-up shot — we still had to incorporate with Inu Curry's visuals right after. After shooting, the characters still just seemed to be kind of moving around; we'd hand that off to Inu Curry, and they'd add the nightmare sequences. After that, we'd hand it back to the composite team, and it would all be rendered.
SASAKI : Since the film was made that way, I'm sure that some of our viewers thought that it was a deliberate choice from the beginning — having the so-called Inu Curry space co-exist with the normal space — but it's not as if we were really planning it that way during the storyboarding phrase.
MIYAMOTO : You'd see Inu Curry's artwork jumbled in with scenes of their ordinary lives, with that look of something somewhat out of place; as foreign objects. Later on, it's depicted more clearly. For instance, Bebe's outline is bolder.
CHARACTERS RETOOLED FOR REBELLION
TANIGUCHI : Also, speaking of character designs, how about Nagisa? In Ms. Aoki's first draft, she was a little taller, and she was close to Madoka in age. But later on, she made her shorter, and I thought there must be a reason for that. So I gave her huge, round eyes, and a somewhat childish, impish appearance.
Bebe's Escape
Bebe puffs out a trail of colorful, bubble-like spheres as she flies through the air. They appear in the scene where Homura Akemi becomes suspicious of Bebe's true identity.
Welcoming Goddess Madoka
Madoka Kaname, the Law of Cycles, appears to take away Homura, who has become a witch. Sayaka Miki and Nagisa Momoe try to return with her, riding in a pumpkin carriage.
CHARLOTTE
The Witch of Sweets. Once dreamt of tenacity. A mysterious creature who suddenly appeared in Mami's home. She is named "Bebe", but she is actually the Witch of Sweets who arrived from the Law of Cycles. She was very quiet and expressionless when she was first encountered, but somehow turned into her current state. She’s a bit noisy. Mami made her new clothes by hand. Tomoe Mami resembles the person from the last frightening dream this witch saw.
PYOTR & POLINA
The fleeing Witch of Sweets and her minions. Their roles are to search for cheese and to nurse the cheese. When rescuing Homura, the nurse-like minions helped with Mami's trapezes, while the mouse-like minions generally ran circles around Nagisa's position.
