When Calls the Heart - Official Announcement of 'It Begins With Heart,' 'Troubled Hearts'

We had the heads-up a month ago that Shout! Factory is preparing a March 8th USA-only release of When Calls The Heart - It Begins With Heart on DVD. We didn't have much information during that write-up; only the basic info (the title, date, and $14.93 SRP that was available in odvdo's pre-order listing at the time. Now Shout! Factory's online store has also put the title up for pre-order, and they add the package art (below) and the following description of the item:
"Old-fashioned, nostalgic...escapist fun like an evening of Downton Abbey" - FilmIntuition.com. From celebrated author Janette Oke (The Love Comes Softly series) comes a rigorous and romantic adventure as epic as the wide frontier. Erin Krakow (Army Wives), Daniel Lissing (Eye Candy), Lori Loughlin (Full House, 90210) and Jack Wagner (Melrose Place) star in When Calls The Heart, "a beautiful story with roots in relationships, self-empowerment, and the enduring power of love" (Common Sense Media).

In the days before the big New Year's Eve celebration, Hope Valley sees some unpredictable resolutions. For instance, Abigail sets out to catch whoever's been stealing from her kitchen - and finds herself in charge of two orphans in the process. Elizabeth resolves to take charge of Jack's dog, Rip, in an attempt to remedy Rip's apparent jealousy of their relationship. Rosemary is determined to win a San Francisco Herald essay contest about a "real frontier family"… and has to pose as Lee's wife when a reporter from the paper shows up. And Bill Avery tries his best to convince Jack that he's not the one who should be behind bars for counterfeiting. Meanwhile, two visitors in town ponder sticking around and causing trouble for both Jack and Pastor Frank!
Based on the "New Year's Eve" part of that synopsis, it's apparent that the When Calls The Heart - It Begins With Heart DVD release contains the double-length holiday special, "New Year's Wish," which the Hallmark Channel ran this past December 26th. Total running time is 88 minutes for this single disc, and closed captioning is included.

Shout! is quickly following that title up on April 19th with the beginning of the official third season, with the 89-minute DVD When Calls The Heart - Troubled Hearts. The price is also $14.93 SRP, and while a description isn't yet available from the studio, it's presumed to have the episodes "Troubled Hearts" and "A Time to Speak" on board. You can pre-order that from www.odvdo.com as well, and front cover art can be seen at the bottom.