Synopsis

From the coldest, windiest, most untouched wilderness on earth—and inspired by an astonishing true story, comes this thrilling tale of action and adventure, of dogs and men, of friendship and loyalty and of the stirring spirit of tenacity and hope that sparked one of the most incredible survival stories of all time. Survival guide Jerry Shepard returns to base with injured scientist Dr David McClaren onboard his dogsled. Suffering frostbite Jerry and Dr McClaren, who has a broken leg, are evacuated in the face of a worsening storm. Dr Andy Harrison promised that pilot Kate will return for his eight sled dogs. When two giant storms combine everyone is evacuated home. The eight dogs must now free themselves and survive the harsh winter till Jerry returns for them.

What The Critics Say

"There are some genuinely touching scenes that cover loss, hope, friendship and the inevitable reunion that ensure "Eight Below" as a holiday crowd-pleaser for all ages." Mark Beirne BRISBANE WHAT'S ON "[A] top-notch survival adventure that will reduce the coldest heart to a puddle of warm slush." Ken Fox TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE "Old fashioned storytelling that's moving and exciting." Devin Faraci CHUD "... Deserves to be seen on the big screen in all its glory" Greg Maki STAR-DEMOCRAT EASTON MD "This movie is just about perfect in every sense; the acting, the writing, the cinematography, the music; combining to bring us a thrilling, absorbing and especially moving story about courage and determination." David Kaplan KAPLAN VS KAPLAN

"It's an engrossing film that reminds us of the nobility and grace of man's best friend, and of the fierce will to survive in the face of the harshest of odds." Claudia Puig USA TODAY "Emotive, great-looking and physically nimble, the principal actors in Eight Below are born movie stars. The human actors are ok, too." Carla Meyer SACRAMENTO BEE "Don't let the ads or the poster fool you, this isn't Snow Dogs (thank goodness) and you'd be wrong to dismiss this as just another Disney dog movie." Rebecca Murray ABOUT.COM "The story is exciting and inspiring, the dogs and scenery are breathtakingly gorgeous, and director Frank Marshall expertly balances thrills, laughs, and tender moments that are genuinely moving." Nell Minow, MOVIE MOM AT YAHOO! MOVIES

The Inside Story "Eight Below" is the latest Disney offering to reach the cinemas. It is unashamedly aimed more at the older audiences rather than the kids market. "Eight Below" was inspired by the real life story of a 1957 Japanese expedition in which two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi who were forced to leave their sled dogs in the Antartica for six long months. The story of survival first came to the screens in 1983 as the Japanese film blockbuster, "Nankyoku monogatari". At the time of its release, "Nankyoku monogatari" [or "Antarctica], became the highest grossing Japanese film of all-time holding on to that record for nearly a decade. When highly acclaimed producer David Hoberman ["The Shaggy Dog"]came across the story many years ago it "took his breath away. I loved the story because it was so action-packed, but it was also about all these epic themes of friendship, responsibility and triumph of the spirit," Hoberman says. "It stayed with me for years and years, and I kept trying to get the project going, until at last a Disney executive who had seen the Japanese film and felt the same way about it as I did agreed to option it." The assignment to write a first draft went to Disney’s New Writers program particpant David DiGilio who shifted the stories timeline to 1993, the last year dog sled were allowed to work in the highly protected Antarctica. The reason? Despite their wonderful record of working with their fellow humans on the frozen continent there was a fear that distemper might transfer from the dogs to the local seal population. DiGilio too was taken by the story of survival. "I fell in love with the story right away," DiGilio says. "I’ve always been attracted to the outdoors and I’m a huge dog person, and I just thought this could be the perfect cinematic marriage of the two. I also liked the idea of exploring themes about friendship. Of course, it’s obviously about man’s best friend, but the movie also demonstrates how people from different backgrounds can be thrown together and find common ground when faced with adversity. When you place complex characters in a riveting outdoor adventure, you see how friendship truly is the key to our survival." While there are a number of human parts in the film, it is the dogs who are the real stars. "Writing about the dogs of "Eight Below" was my favorite part of the whole project. I think every dog owner likes to think of their dogs as more of a person than a pet," DiGilio notes. "And this was a chance to really explore the wonders of the canine personality and the pack dynamic." DiGilio's script got a big boost when it found its way into the hands of producer and director Frank Marshall. Marshall has produced many box-office successes including, "The Bourne Supremacy", "The Bourne Identity", "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" said, "I loved all the different threads that were going on in "Eight Below". I love adventure, I love dogs, I love the outdoors, I love stories about survival and hope, and I also especially love to take on stories that are a true challenge to bring to the screen." When Marshall learnt about the original story and the film that followed a quarter of a century later he was even more impressed. Marshall "met with producer Masaru Kakutani, who originally produced the Japanese film "Antarctica", and listened to his gripping and emotional stories of interviewing the original expedition members. He also contacted his good friend Susan Butcher, a four-time winner of the world’s pre-eminent dog-sledding race, the Iditarod" Finding the right dogs was a key element to the success of the film. "We knew that one of the most important elements was going to be the casting of the dogs. It was so important to us that each dog have its own individual character and unique look, and really their own distinct stories, that we needed to find eight dogs who were completely different from one another. We started the process of casting them early because it was so vital," Marshall says. To assure they got the best Marshall commandeered the services of one of Hollywood’s foremost animal training enterprises, 'Birds & Animals'. The doggy cast they came up with comprised; seven-year-old 'Koda Bear'[who plays pack alpha dog Maya]; six-year-old D.J [who plays the emerging leader Max]; three-year-old Noble [who plays the grey-colored Shadow]; two-year-old Dino [who plays the red-tinged Buck]; four-year-old Floyd and three-year-old Sitka [who play the twin dogs Dewey and Truman]; three-year-old Jasper [who plays the rambunctious rebel Shorty]; and four-year-old Apache [who plays the veteran of the pack, Old Jack]. The loveable bunch of mutts is made up of two Siberian Huskies and six Malamutes who will, like they did with Marshall, quickly win your heart over. Marshall admitted that while his two favorites were Koda Bear [who plays Maya], and D.J. [who plays Max], he soon developed a soft spot for the hard to handle 'Shorty'. "Jasper, who played Shorty, was just a rebel through and through. He’d just go bounding along and just run right out of the shot sometimes. He was a real handful but he was also perfect for the part." One person on the production team who has to be admired is head animal trainer Mike Alexander. "When I first read the script, I thought, how in the world are we going to do all this stuff? There were a lot of challenges and a lot of them we couldn’t even foresee when we started out," he recalled. And it was a job that couldn't be rushed. Like the scenes where the dogs are buried after a snow storm. "We had to teach that very slowly," Alexander says. "First, we worked on getting them to curl up and lie down on command. Then, we started by putting just a little bit of snow on them and giving them a reward for letting that happen. Each time we did it, we piled a little bit more snow on the dogs until they became comfortable being completely buried!" And that wasn't the only challenge the team faced with the dogs. "The dogs have spent a lot of time with their trainers and are in tune with them so that’s who they naturally want to look at. Paul worked with us prepping and feeding the dogs and petting and talking to them so he could develop a real bond with them. At the same time, we worked with the dogs so that they would watch Paul, when in fact there’s a trainer off-screen telling the dog things like, put your paw out." Alexander also revealed that in fact, "each dog had two trainers working with them whenever the cameras were rolling." Director Frank Marshall found that working with the dogs on the shoot produced some very funny moment. "At times it became absolutely hilarious on the set with eight trainers each yelling separate commands to their dogs while the camera was running," he said, "but the trainers did a great job. Overall, there was an amazing amount of dedication, discipline and passion that allowed us to tell the story of the dogs in a very fun and emotional way." So how did working on "Eight Below" compare to some of the 'big' films he had previously worked on? "The production of "Eight Below" ranks right up there with the most challenging I’ve ever experienced," sums up the director. "We were in the middle of the Sahara for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and we were trapped on a glacier at 10,000 feet in "Alive", but this ranks right up there in the top three. What was so rewarding on "Eight Below" is that most elements of the film came together despite the tough environmental challenges. We had a wonderful cast, exceptional dogs, fantastic locations and, throughout every minute of production, we were inspired by this unforgettable story of humans and animals triumphing over the odds." The Verdict "A thoroughly delightful story, "Eight Below" is sure to capture the hearts of anyone who sees this moving tale loosely based on a true story. While the outcome doesn't emulate exactly what happened in real life it is never the less, a fascinating story. The only cinemagoers who won't get a kick out of "Eight Below" will be heart-hardened cat lovers. Everyone else will be happy to let themselves 'go to the dogs'. Recommended for all ages." Cast & Crew Bytes "EIGHT BELOW" stars .......
Paul Walker ["Meet The Deedles", "Varsity Blues", "2 Fast 2 Furious" and "Into the Blue"]; Moon Bloodgood ["Win A Date With Tad Hamilton", "A Lot Like Love" and "Moonlight Serenade"]; Jason Biggs ["Prozac Nation", "American Pie 3" and "Jersey Girl"]; Gerard Plunkett ["Rat Race", "Suddenly Naked" and "Two for the Money"], Wendy Crewson ["Between Strangers", "The Santa Clause 2" and "The Clearing"] and Bruce Greenwood ["Being Julia", "Racing Stripes", "Capote" and "The World's Fastest Indian"] as Dr David McClaren.
"EIGHT BELOW" was .......
directed by Frank Marshall ["Arachnophobia", "Alive" and "Congo"]; screenplay by Dave DiGilio ["Eight Below"]; film edited by Christopher Rouse ["The Italian Job" and "The Bourne Supremacy"]; cinematography by Don Burgess ["Spider-Man" and "Christmas with the Kranks"]; original music by Mark Isham ["Life As A House", "The Cooler", "Racing Stripes" and "In Her Shoes"] production design by John Willett ["Lake Placid" and "Freddy Vs Jason"]. Run Time 120 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Disney Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved