Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel Blu-ray Movie Review

Another exceptional entry in the Naruto anime franchise..

Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel is the second Naruto feature-film action-adventure. Based on the fan-favorite manga by Masashi Kishimoto, the second outing focuses on an epic journey with our heroes on an exciting new mission. Fans of the beloved anime franchise won't want to miss a beat (of the fun). Produced by animation studio Pierrot (Bleach), Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel is must-see entertainment.

Naruto (Junko Takeuchi), Shikamaru (Shôtarô Morikubo), and Sakura (Chie Nakamura) work together on a mission to safely return an adorable pet ferret to its original home village. As the story unfolds, a mysterious story starts to unravel too: the magical Gelel stone enters the equation. A powerful force to be reckoned with, the Gelel stone might hold greater power than Naruto has ever encountered before. Can Naruto discover the truth behind the strange stone and return the pet ferret to its rightful home?

Fight to the end.

The animation direction, character designs, and key animation by Tetsuya Nishio (Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Ghost in the Shell Arise: Alternative Architecture) astonishes. Nishio manages to have so many essential roles in the production that it is downright remarkable. The animation is a true gift. Naruto fans have so much to appreciate about the exquisitely designed landscapes on full display throughout the feature-film. Accompanying the animation, the music score composed by Toshio Masuda (Naruto, Mahoromatic) also makes a splash: enhancing the rich artistry on display.

Directed and co-written by Hirotsugu Kawasaki (Spriggan, Legend of the Millennium Dragon), who penned the screenplay alongside screenwriter Yuka Miyata (Naruto, Naruto: Shippûden), Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel is exciting action-packed fun from start to finish. The entire experience is a blast of energy that builds to the epic conclusion. Fans of the anime series will undoubtedly enjoy this entry in the film franchise. Kawasaki brings forth a fantastic sense of style to the Naruto film series.

Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ, Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The second feature included in the tri-pack, Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel looks the best of the three films. Colors appear the most robust and pleasing. The level of detail in the artistry in immense. This is a strong presentation with only minor nit-picks regarding the encoding. Though some scenes showcase minor compression artifacts, the bulk of the presentation is highly satisfactory. Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel has never looked better on home media in North America.

Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles). The audio quality is impressive and gives the action-packed adventure more weight and gravitas from start to finish. The exciting fight scenes are enhanced by the high-resolution audio. Dialogue remains crisp, clear, and easy to understand. For fans of either the English dub or the original Japanese language version, Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel impresses (and doesn't sacrifice on quality for the Japanese audio presentation, as was the case on the first film in the tri-pack).

Please Note: Optional 2.0 stereo tracks are also provided.

Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary on Naruto: The Movie – Legend of the Stone of Gelel

Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Naruto: Legend of the Stone Gelel is a must-see entry in the long-running Naruto anime franchise. The animation is exquisite and the action-scenes are non-stop throughout. The Blu-ray release features an impressive video-audio presentation. Recommended.