Eight Below

2006

Eight Below

Critics 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.

72%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 152

79%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 374,322

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Eight Below Photos

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Movie Info

In the extreme wilderness of Antarctica, three members of a scientific expedition -- Jerry Shepard, his best friend, Cooper and a rugged American geologist -- 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 more than six months.
  • Rating:
    PG (for some peril and brief mild language)
  • Genre:
    Action & Adventure, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Bruce Hendricks, Frank Marshall
  • Written By:
    Dave Digilio
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $81,593,527
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Buena Vista Pictures

Cast

Paul Walker
as Jerry Shepard
Bruce Greenwood
as Davis McClaren
Moon Bloodgood
as Katie
Jason Biggs
as Charlie Cooper
Gerard Plunkett
as Dr. Andy Harrison
August Schellenberg
as Mindo
Wendy Crewson
as Eve McClaren
Belinda Metz
as Rosemary
DJ Abdel
as Max
Connor Christopher Levins
as Eric McClaren
Timbalada & Os Zarabe
as Maya
Duncan Fraser
as Captian Lovett
Koda Bear
as Maya
Dan Ziskie
as Navy Commander
Jasmine
as Old Jack
Apache
as Old Jack
Daniel Bacon
as Bureaucrat No. 2
Laara Sadiq
as Bureaucrat No. 3
Buck 65
as Shadow
Malcolm Stewart
as Charles Buffett
Adrian Noble
as Shadow
Troika
as Shadow, Buck
Dexter Bell
as Worker No. 1
Flapjack
as Buck
Gary Chalk
as Boat Captain
Dino
as Truman
Chase Rucker Productions
as Dewey
Babi Floyd
as Dewey
A. James Ryan
as Shorty
Carl Jasper
as Shorty
Michael David Simms
as Armin Butler
Brendan Campbell
as Waitress
Michael D. Adamthwaite
as Wharf Boat Captain
Buddy Cain
as Crew Member
Damon Johnson
as Jamison
Richard Sali
as Frank
Alexios A. Panou
as Howard
Mike Nowak
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News & Interviews for Eight Below

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Critic Reviews for Eight Below

All Critics (152) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (42)

  • Live-action animal adventures have always been a Disney specialty, and this one has a pretty compelling plot.

    May 27, 2011 | Full Review…

    J. R. Jones

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • It's heartwarming, occasionally exciting, and some of the cinematography is exemplary.

    June 24, 2006 | Full Review…

    Derek Adams

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • After two hours in Walker's slack-jawed company, you feel like you've just gone through the Antarctic winter yourself.

    May 6, 2006 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Andrew Pulver

    Guardian
    Top Critic

  • There are times when resisting the Disney line just isn't worth the effort.

    May 6, 2006 | Full Review…

    Sandra Hall

    Sydney Morning Herald
    Top Critic

  • The dogs take the biscuit in Eight Below, an enthralling fact-based tale of man's best friend struggling to survive a harsh Antarctic winter.

    March 14, 2006 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Neil Smith

    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • Eight Below runs two hours and would have benefited from losing 30 minutes of that -- all of it from Jerry's (Paul Walker) protracted quest. The other human actors are simply types.

    February 23, 2006 | Full Review…

    Emily Yoffe

    Slate
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (152)

Audience Reviews for Eight Below

  • Aug 07, 2014
    Despite the sheen of sentimentality afforded the dog of a calamity presented here, this Disneyfied true story can't help but keep all but the most cynical moviegoers invested in this somehow loveable snow job. Fluffy but earnest, the real events sometimes feel sanitized more than dramatized. This proves purposeful, allowing for a broader (read: family) audience. So, facts get kinda sorta truncated, characters become near-caricatures, and human drama mostly gets played safe. The bare Milk Bone facts behind the almost Movie-of-the-Week spit and polish, however, punches through any hint of melodrama and grabs the audience. There's an art form to this kind of filmmaking, after all, and it's a precarious balance that the ultimately heartwarming Eight Below pulls off. In this PG-rated drama, a scientific expedition comprising sled dog handler Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) and a rugged American geologist (Bruce Greenwood) become forced to leave behind their team of beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions in Antarctica. The late Paul Walker always stood and delivered like a well oiled matinee idol. Oh, there was never any chance of putting him in the pure, raw nerve, Oscar-baiting acting league of Daniel Day-Lewis or even Ryan Gosling, but this was never his or H'Wood's plan. Great looking and likeable to girls AND guys, he wasn't hired to go method and actually live among the huskies in the frigid tundra snow, he was hired to be the concerned and heroic human face behind the true star, man's best friend--a task he does truthfully and beautifully here. Bottom line: 7 Up-Lift
    Jeff B Super Reviewer
  • Dec 02, 2011
    Eight below is an emotional and good movie. The problem is that they say it was based on a true story, when in reality the dogs were lost they have no idea what happened to the dogs. It was depressing at times but could also be kind and good hearted. Its worth a watch but only once or twice.
    Bradley W Super Reviewer
  • Oct 27, 2011
    If only those actors could act, we'd have ourselves a gold winner.
    Scott G Super Reviewer
  • May 28, 2011
    it has courage and can be mildly enjoyable, but it's still a tad too long and can get tirsome that fast. C+
    Juan C Super Reviewer
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