One of the most anticipated inspirational DVDs of the year arrives in stores next month—Soul Surfer (0-43396-38019-6, $30.99), the true-life story of teen Bethany Hamilton's remarkable return to surfing after losing an arm in a shark attack.

The 106-minute, PG drama features AnnaSophia Robb as Hamilton with Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt as her parents. With singer Carrie Underwood making her acting debut in the film, Soul Surfer was heavily promoted to the faith-based community on its theatrical release and saw a positive response, said Dave Mechem, sales manager for Affirm Films/Sony Home Pictures Entertainment.

"The biggest thing we were excited about was the CinemaScore rating," he said. "It was an A-plus, the first film to get that this year." With a production budget of $18 million, the film took twice that at the box office within a month of release.

The Aug. 2 release DVD comes with extras that include The Heart of a Soul Surfer documentary, which tells the true story of Hamilton's experience and features interviews with her family. In addition, Soul Sisters looks at the friendship that developed between Hamilton and Robb, while two other featurettes look at how the surfing scenes were filmed and the technology used to "lose" Robb's arm. 

Mechem said that promotional campaigns were being finalized that would see the DVD release being supported in Christian chains with displays also featuring related book releases, like Raising a Soul Surfer by Cheri Hamilton (Regal Books).

Soul Surfer is also available in a two-disc Blu-ray set, retailing for $38.99. To order, call Provident-Integrity at 800-333-9000. 

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