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Official Japanese Title : Daikatsugeki! Yukihime Ninpocho Dattebayo!
English Translated Title : Snow Princess' Book of Ninja Arts
Japanese Theatrical Release Date : August 21st, 2004
The first ever theatrical release of a Naruto anime title was released on August 21, 2004 to large crowds throughout Japan, it was indeed an instant hit that stayed atop the Japanese box office charts for a good run. Due to it's unexpected popularity a sequel to the movie was made for a theatric release in 2005, and has now spawned an entire series of Naruto movies with the third movie being released on August 5th, 2006. Naruto the Movie 1 was released on DVD in Japan on April 28th, 2005 and in Taiwan on May 27th, 2005 (under an alternative name "Naruto rincess Snow Ninja rule").
As a bonus the DVD featured a short special (Konoha Undokai, "The Leaf's Athletic Meet"). The ten minute opening revolves around Naruto's inability to use the washroom while participating in the tournament. One thing that makes the short interesting is that nearly every character who had ever appeared in the Naruto series up until that point (living, and even dead) makes an appearance.
Set in the Snow Country (a previously unheard of Country in the Naruto universe) the first Naruto movie follows the plight of the leader of the Snow, his young daughter, and his young brother. Originally, the ruler of this small, ice covered country was a bespectacled man named Kazehana Sousetsu, who had helped keep the country peaceful and had ambitions to let his daughter rule the country when he had retired. However, his younger brother Dotou was also keen to take the throne and revolted against Sousetsu to take control of the Snow Country. Tragically, Sousetsu was killed, but as he died he gave a precious crystal to his daughter, named Koyuki, who then fled the country.
At this time, a younger ANBU-member Kakashi was also in the Snow Country fulfilling a mission, and it may be logical to assume that he had helped the girl desert from her homeland. Ten years later, and back in the present, the new ruler of the Snow Country, Dotou, is trying to strengthen his military forces in order to challenge the power of the 5 Great Shinobi countries (Cloud, Earth, Fire, Water, Wind). Back in the Leaf Village, it is some time after the end of the Chuunin exam, and Kakashi's Team 7 are given a new mission, the first one they've worked together on in a long time.
The duty assigned to the team is to escort a popular but selfish actor named Fujimi Yuki to the Snow Country where she is to film a new movie, the last in the "Adventures of the Unlucky Princess" series, even though she is reluctant to go and walks out of the studio. Eventually she is persuaded to go, but the reception she receives in the Snow Country is far from friendly.Their enemies in the movie are Mizore, Nadare, and Fubuki (whose names translate directly to Sleet, Avalanche, and Snow-Storm) who are dressed in special suits that allow them to utilise snow-based attacks, particularly with the mechanical lokking devices on their arms. They attack the actress and Team 7 at once, but there seems to be some relation between their attack and the girl Koyuki, who went missing ten years ago...
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