Perhaps you have to be a dog owner to be reduced to the blubbering mess that I found myself in by the end of Disney's Eight Below.
Eight Below (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:138
Fresh:98
Rotten:40
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Featuring a stellar cast of marooned mutts, who deftly display emotion, tenderness, loyalty and resolve, Eight Below is a heartwarming and exhilarating adventure film.
Theatrical Release:Feb 17, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $81,593,527
Synopsis: Inspired by a true story and the hit Japanese film NANKYOKU MONOGATARI, Frank Marshall's (ALIVE, CONGO) EIGHT BELOW captures a rugged world of ice, snow, and threatening weather that few will ever... Inspired by a true story and the hit Japanese film NANKYOKU MONOGATARI, Frank Marshall's (ALIVE, CONGO) EIGHT BELOW captures a rugged world of ice, snow, and threatening weather that few will ever experience in person. As a guide for a National Science Foundation Research Base in Antarctica, Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) is perfectly content to spend his time exploring the wilderness with his sled dogs and goofing around with his best buddy, cartographer Charlie Cooper (Jason Biggs). Then UCLA geologist Davis McLaren (Bruce Greenwood) arrives at the camp with plans for a risky expedition: treacherous ice fields make his target destination accessible only by dog sled so late in the season. Soon Shepard, McLaren and the sled dogs--Maya, Max, Old Jack, Buck, Shorty, Dewey, Shadow, and Truman--are on their way in search of McLaren's prize: a meteorite from Mercury. Unfortunately, an approaching storm forces Shepard and McLaren to return to base early. The return trip proves life-threatening, but the dogs pull through, saving both Shepard and McLaren from certain death. The storm also forces the scientists to leave the research center earlier than planned, and there's no room on board bush pilot Katie's (Moon Bloodgood) plane for the dogs. With the promise that someone will return for them immediately, Shepard leaves his beloved dogs behind. Soon, however, it becomes apparent that the weather has made a return trip impossible. Can the dogs survive in the Antarctic wilderness on their own, or will Shepard get back in time to save them? The dogs emerge as the most intriguing characters in the story, each exhibiting a distinct personality and fierce loyalty. The other major player is the wilderness itself, a beautiful, mysterious world that is rarely depicted on film. [More]
Starring: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Jason Biggs
Starring: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Jason Biggs, Gerard Plunkett, August Schellenberg, Wendy Crewson, Belinda Metz, A. James Ryan, Adrian Noble
Director: Frank Marshall
Director: Frank Marshall
Screenwriter: Dave Digilio
Producer: David Hoberman
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
Get This Movie
Reviews for Eight Below
It's lucky for human actors that canines can't win Academy Awards, because, if they could, the dogs in Eight Below would sweep next year's Oscars.
Eight Below is the Brian's Song of dog movies: schmaltzy, feel-goody, inspired-by-a-true-story-y. It's formulaic and frequently over the top, 30 minutes too long and altogether too slow.
Basically, what we have here is a stranded-animal movie in which the stranded animals are forced to split screen time with a mopey human character and his annoying, redundant friends.
"Eight Below" is exciting, and the arctic photography stunning but it's too long, and perhaps a little scary and too realistic at times for youngsters.
The eight canine stars of Eight Below pull their weight literally and figuratively in this lively dog-in-jep adventure from Disney.
A pleasant re-imagining, thanks mostly to the great performances of eight beautiful dogs.
I wish 'Eight Below' had spent more time showing those wonderful dogs instead of including so many uninspired segments with human actors.
Eight Below takes a lot of liberties and blows even more opportunities, but it remains a steady, fulfilling adventure.
Following the success of last year's March of the Penguins, and now Eight Below -- an equally triumphal processional of dogs across the bottom of the world -- Cinema Antarctica is suddenly sizzling hot!
Emotive, great-looking and physically nimble, the principal actors in Eight Below are born movie stars. The human actors are ok, too.
Q: How can a movie set in icy Antarctica be all warm and fuzzy? A: When it's a heart-warming survival adventure that manages to transcend its cutesy-poo Disney pedigree.
There are human beings in this movie and they are fine, but it is the magnificent four-legged actors who give this movie its bite.
[Frank Marshall] isn’t exactly a cinematic poet, but he does a fine job delineating each individual dog’s personality, as well as the shifting hierarchy of power within the pack.
Latest News for Eight Below
February 21, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Vantage Point Aims For #1 Debut
A terrorist attack is played out through multiple perspectives in the high-octane political thriller Vantage Point which leads the four-pack of new openers which also includes... More...
March 01, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Wild Hogs" Aims to Run Over "Ghost Rider"
One super hero on a motorcycle looks to get replaced by four middle-aged bikers at the number one spot at the North American box office this weekend. More...
February 22, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Jim Carrey Aims to Terrify Moviegoers
Following a busy holiday weekend when five new releases opened nationwide, the crowded marketplace will now face another four new films invading multiplexes everywhere. More...
February 15, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Ghost Rider Leads Gang of New Flicks
Five new films, each targeting its own audience, cram into North American multiplexes giving moviegoers plenty of entertainment options over the four-day Presidents' Day holiday... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Eight Below at Rotten Tomatoes
- Eight Below at IGN
- Eight Below at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



