MUMBAI: ESPN and Disney will release the first sports-themed 3D film this summer with a special, limited one-week theatrical run starting 21 August . ESPN Films will produce and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will distribute X Games 3D the Movie nationwide into digital 3D theaters around the country. Directed by filmmaker Steve Lawrence (Down the Barrel), the film will use digital 3D techniques to immerse sports fans into the world of action sports and its top stars. Iconic action sports personalities chronicled in the film are: Shaun White, Travis Pastrana, Danny Way, Ricky Carmichael and Bob Burnquist.

"ESPN is extremely proud to join Disney in bringing the 3D experience to action sports fans. The proximity of the cameras to the action combined with the amazing performances by the athletes provides a mind-blowing, jaw-dropping storytelling encounter for fans of all ages," said ESPN Films senior vice president Ron Semiao.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group president Mark Zoradi added, "There is absolutely no sporting event better suited for the Digital 3D medium than X Games. ESPN continues to break boundaries by using digital 3D to put sports fans literally in the center of the action: preparing to launch down the big air ramp with Danny Way, racing downhill on Shaun White’s snowboard and flying through the air in Travis Pastrana’s Rally car. And Disney is proud to add X Games 3D the Movie to its robust, industry-leading slate of 17 other upcoming Disney Digital 3D releases."

The full-length feature film will capture the drama and spectacle that play out every year at the X Games events and will also tell the stories of the featured athletes showing the sacrifices they make in pursuit of glory and progressing their sport on the industry’s biggest stage.

The featured athletes are: Shaun White, Travis Pastrana, Danny Way, Ricky Carmichael and Bob Burnquist.