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“EIGHT BELOW tells the story of three members of a scientific expedition who are forced to leave their team of beloved sled dogs behind in Antarctica for six months due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions. Inspired by a true story. Paul Walker plays the role of Jerry Shepard, a researcher in Antarctica who struggles to rescue his eight sled dogs left behind after a disaster…”

Inspired by a true story, EIGHT BELOW is an action-adventure movie about loyalty and the bonds of friendship set in the extreme wilderness of Antarctica. The film tells the exciting story of three members of a scientific expedition: Jerry Shepard, his best friend Cooper, and a rugged American geologist, who are forced to leave behind their team of beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions in Antarctica.

During the harsh Antarctic winter, the dogs must struggle for survival alone in the intense frozen wilderness for over six months.

Suggested by the brilliant Japanese film NANKYOKU MONOGATARI, EIGHT BELOW tells the story of the eight Eskimo dogs, or huskies, called Maya, Max, Shadow, Shorty, Truman, Dewey, Old Jack and Buck.

“The more you train your dog, the better behaved he will be ALL THE TIME. That’s also why teaching tricks keeps your dog thinking and working for you. It increases his focus and his bond with you." Dove Cresswell, HOLLYWOOD ANIMAL TRAINER

Disney may have written the book on live-action animal adventure stories, but it has been quite a while since there has been a chapter as terrific as "Eight Below."

Based on actual events but inspired by the 1983 Japanese blockbuster "Nankyoku Monogatari" ("Antarctica"), this highly involving story about a team of eight sled dogs who are stranded in the harsh tundra and must fend for themselves for close to half a year, has been Americanized in the best sense of the word -- as opposed to, say, "Snow Dogs."

Naturally there will always be those coldhearted types who will cry "mush!" but "EIGHT BELOW" has the satisfying emotional tug of a "March of the Penguins" that should handily translate into a warm welcome at the box office. Down the trail, the picture will fetch even bigger numbers on DVD.

While the original incident occurred in 1957, director Frank Marshall and screenwriter David DiGilio have moved up the story to 1993, the last year sled dog teams were employed in Antarctica (in an effort to protect seals from distemper).

Paul Walker's Jerry Shepard is a survival guide on a research mission who has grown quite attached to his team of skilled sled dogs. They have again demonstrated their prowess and loyalty by pulling meteorite-seeking geologist Davis McClaren (Bruce Greenwood) to safety after breaking his leg on the treacherous terrain.

But when the onset of the mother of all winter storms forces an immediate evacuation and the severe weather conditions prohibit travel back to the outpost for months, pack leader Maya and her team are forced to brave the bleak elements on their own.

Meanwhile, back in America, Jerry is doggedly determined to find a way to rescue his four-legged friends, with a little assistance from his bush pilot ex-girlfriend (Moon Bloodgood) and a goofy cartographer (Jason Biggs).

Everything about "EIGHT BELOW" is refreshingly above average, from newcomer DiGilio's clean, uncluttered script -- he was in Disney's New Writer's program when he was hired to tackle the screenplay -- to Marshall's nicely weighted direction and the on-the-money performances from humans and canines alike.

Conveying the screen presence of a young Kurt Russell, Walker lends a convincing commitment to his lead role, while comic relief Biggs, rugged Greenwood and fresh-faced Bloodgood make for a crack support team.

Speaking of team, the picture's most remarkable achievement are those sled dogs (played by 16 animal actors) and their trainers responsible for creating eight very individual, very engaging characters in their own right. Somewhere there has got to be a plush animal factory working overtime, because Maya, Max and company are merchandising gold.

Behind the scenes, Marshall, quite in his inclement element after having directed 1993's "Alive," and cinematographer Don Burgess ("Cast Away") mine the maximum chill factor from the British Columbia and Greenland backdrops subbing for Antarctica, while editor Christopher Rouse ("The Bourne Supremacy") keeps things involving, especially during an unexpectedly nerve-jangling sequence between the dogs and a territorial leopard seal.

EIGHT BELOW
Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures presents in association with Spyglass Entertainment
A Mandeville Films production.

Credits:
Director: Frank Marshall
Screenwriter: David DiGilio
Suggested by the Japanese film: "Nankyoku Monogatari"
Producers: David Hoberman, Patrick Crowley
Executive producers: Todd Lieberman, Masaru Kakutani
Frank Marshall, Christine Iso, Roy Lee, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum
Director of photography: Don Burgess
Production designer: John Willett
Editor: Christopher Rouse
Costume designer: Jori Woodman
Composer: Mark Isham

Cast:
Jerry Shepard: Paul Walker
Davis McClaren: Bruce Greenwood
Katie: Moon Bloodgood
Charlie Cooper: Jason Biggs

Dr. Andy Harrison: Gerard Plunkett
Mindo: August Schellenberg

MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 120 minutes.

EIGHT BELOW stars Paul Walker as a guilt-ridden mush-master but the real stars of the movie are the dogs, while Paul serves as in-between dog filler.

Guided by career second unit director Frank Marshall (he's been second banana on all three Indiana Jones movies, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and Seabiscuit), EIGHT BELOW tells the story of eight Antarctic sled dogs who risk their lives to save an imperiled scientist, and are then abandoned at the bottom of the world.

Their owner is a guide named Gerry Shepherd (Paul Walker), and when his team is forced into an emergency evacuation from their Antarctica research base, he only agrees to leave his dogs chained outside as long as someone agrees to go right back and get them. Injured and facing serious frostbite, Gerry passes out in mid-airlift.

When he wakes up days have passed and no one has gone back to get his heroic animals. Now it's too late. Antarctic winter has set in and the storms are too fierce for travel. It'll be months before Gerry can find a way back to his old base camp, leaving his beautiful dogs to fend for themselves in the world's most inhospitable climate.

No one expects them to live, in fact there's a pretty good chance they won't even get off their chain in front of the research base. But facing death by cold and starvation, the dog pack rips free of their chains and braves the Antarctic wilderness to make an attempt at survival.

EIGHT BELOW avoids a lot of the worst pitfalls you might expect from a Disney movie featuring animals. For instance, though they're all given cutesy names, the canines don't talk, nor are they given overly human traits. Instead, Marshall's movie takes an almost documentary-like approach to filming its animals. His movie has more in common with March of the Penguins than it does Milo & Otis.

In fact, at times it's a lot like a modern retelling of Jack London's classic masterpieces THE CALL OF THE WILD or WHITE FANG. With a few exceptions, for the most part the dogs behave like dogs, making the movie a fascinating, beautiful exploration of pack animal behavior and desperate, instinctual survival. What a welcome relief from the usual pandering “kiddietainment.”

There are a few hiccups though as the movie cuts between Gerry's struggle to get back to his furry family, and the dog pack's fight to live on in a completely inhospitable, subzero, barren wasteland. There's a terrible, almost silly scene with a computer animated leopard seal that looks a lot like a dinosaur, and then there's Paul Walker who still hasn't managed to find a way to display more than one or two emotions on screen.

Neither of the two emotions in his repertoire fits with what his character is going through, and for Walker it's a struggle to find the heart of his character's story with such limited ability. But Paul's screen time is cut in half since he's sharing it with the dogs, and with what he has he should probably get some credit for really trying. At least he doesn't say 'Bro' in this one.

EIGHT BELOW is an eye-catching adventure with eight striking, energetic, furry stars. The dogs are absolutely beautiful, and outshine a lot of the little flaws (like Paul) plaguing their movie. Dave DiGilo's screenplay (adapted from a Japanese film) doesn't pull any punches, and capably balances the demands of realism and family-friendly entertainment.

“The more you train your dog, the better behaved he will be ALL THE TIME. That’s also why teaching tricks keeps your dog thinking and working for you. It increases his focus and his bond with you." Dove Cresswell, HOLLYWOOD ANIMAL TRAINER

To learn more about the great Northern Dog Stories, go to DOGS IN LITERATURE & HOLLYWOOD

INFO: www.puppy-dogs.info