Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie

Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie is a 2012 Japanese anime martial arts fantasy film based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga and anime series, Naruto. It was released in Japan on July 28, 2012. It is the first Naruto film to have Kishimoto directly involved with its production, including its main story and new character designs. The story focuses on the ninjas from the Hidden Leaf Village Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno who are trapped in an alternate version of their home by the leader of the Akatsuki criminal organization, Tobi, who aims to take the mystic creature Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that was sealed inside in Naruto by his parents during his birth. The alternate Hidden Leaf Village has multiple changes from Naruto's world, most notably the fact that Naruto's parents Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki are alive, challenging the protagonist into either giving into the world he always wanted or carrying on his parents' legacy to defeat the Akatsuki.

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 25, 2014. Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie was praised for Naruto's exposure to a more cheerful life which challenges the protagonist, as that was what he always wanted, but he instead decides to rebel against Akatsuki. Though the action sequences were praised, some critics felt the animation was poorly made by Pierrot in scenes set at night. The film went on to become one of the most popular Naruto films, surpassing Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison but eventually being surpassed by its successors The Last: Naruto the Movie and Boruto: Naruto the Movie; in total, the film grossed US$17.9 million in the Japanese box office.