VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES DVD RELEASE OF NARUTO THE MOVE 2: THE LEGEND OF THE STONE OF GELEL

Latest Feature Length Animated Adventure Has World’s Favorite Ninja In Training Battling A Mysterious New Threat

San Francisco, CA, July 1, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the highly anticipated DVD release of NARUTO THE MOVIE 2: THE LEGEND OF THE STONE OF GELEL on July 29. The 2-disc set continues the exciting saga of a mischievous young boy training to become a ninja and features 60 minutes of special bonus features. The DVD, rated T for Teens, has an estimated retail price of $29.98.

In the latest feature film, Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura are in the middle of returning a lost ferret to its owner, supposedly the easiest mission ever. Or so they think! When a young knight, Temujin, attacks them out of nowhere, they are drawn into a fierce struggle over a treasure harboring legendary power – the Stone of Gelel. Temujin's master wants to use the stone's power to create a utopia, while the last of the clan who once controlled the stone wants to keep it sealed away forever. Naruto and the others, along with help from Gaara and Kankuro, must protect the stone from those who want to misuse its power. When the dream of utopia becomes a nightmare, it'll take a ninja to set things right!

Several never-before-seen bonus segments on NARUTO THE MOVIE 2 include a feature on “Creating the World of Naruto 2” and one on how to “Write and Adapt Like a Ninja,” plus “Words From Japan,” “Production Art Gallery,” “Original Storyboards,” and the “Original Japanese Movie Trailers.” In addition, the disc contains a director’s commentary track and a trailer for the upcoming third NARUTO movie, NARUTO THE MOVIE 3: GUARDIANS OF THE CRESCENT MOON KINGDOM, which will be released by VIZ Media in the near future.

“NARUTO fans won’t want to miss this exciting latest adventure featuring everyone’s favorite band of young ninja,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President Sales & Product Marketing, VIZ Media. “NARUTO THE MOVIE 2: THE LEGEND OF THE STONE OF GELEL will have viewers at the edge of their seats as our hero and his friends face a menacing new threat. The new release also contains an array of insightful bonus features that give a rare behind-the-scenes look at some of the work that went into making the film. This thrilling new release is not one to miss!”

First introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999, NARUTO, created by Masashi Kishimoto, quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga (graphic novel) targeting tweens and teens and has sold more than 80 million copies to-date. Today, Naruto is considered one of the most popular animated series in Japan’s history and has achieved immense success not only as a manga and TV series, but also in the realm of licensed categories such as toys, trading card games and video games. NARUTO enjoys further widespread domestic success where it debuted as the best selling manga title in North America. The manga series (also published by VIZ Media) has now sold over three million copies to-date in the US and regularly appears on USA Today’s Bestseller list and Bookscan’s Graphic Novel Top 50. NARUTO is one of the most popular animated series in North America and is also distributed domestically by VIZ Media. The show is regularly ranked as the #1 program for boys aged 6-17 on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block of programming.

For more information go to www.NARUTO.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.