8 Below Actors: Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Wendy Crewson
Directors: Frank Marshall
Writers: David DiGilio, Koreyoshi Kurahara, Susumu Saji, Tatsuo Nogami, Toshirô Ishidô
Producers: Christine Iso, David Hoberman
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: June 20, 2006
Run Time: 120 minutes
The movie is a real life adaptation of an incident that occurred in 1958 in Antarctica when the Japanese had gone to find out only 2 dogs survived.
The movie starts of with Paul Walker and Jason Biggs running around to reveal the exposition shot and the title of the movie. The movie is set in Antartica, the first location is the National Science Foundation Base. The setting is shown more, by showing the penguins jumping into the water. Jerry wakes up the dogs and feeds all of them fish. A private airplane lands introducing a character Katie, followed by Dr Davis from UCLA. The next morning they head out, Dr Davis is introduced to all the 8 dogs- Maya, Max, Old Jack, Shadow, Buck, Truman, Dewey and Shorty.
The journey to the location is hazardous, they have to move on ice, which at times is thin and can break easily. While they were crossing an ice path, the ice breaks, and Dr Davis falls into a crevice, all the dogs rescue him out. They setup a tent as night was approaching, the dogs are taken care of by Jerry, and they continue to travel the next morning. The Weather station notifies the Base that a low-pressure belt is on its way, later on it is communicated that a strong storm is on its way. A mercury stone needs to be located and the Dr insists on finding it. To locate it took a lot of time, they looked around a vast stretch and eventually they did find it. On their way back they were heading into the storm so the path was more hazardous. The Dr then slips and falls into thin ice, the dogs rescue him up, Maya crawls through and puts a lasso around the doctor. Jerry and other dogs pull him up, and take him back to the base. The weather conditions were getting worse, so they had to fly out with the Dr Davis.
Dr Davis is taken back and the dogs are tied, everyone clears the base and the weather conditions become very grave and they cannot return soon, so the dogs are tied they are calling for Jerry when the plane lifts off the base.
Due to the severe weather conditions the dogs cannot be brought back. The dogs escape and go around, the have to find food and they share amongst each other. Jerry goes to different locations looking for some way to go back to his dogs. The dogs health starts to deteriorate some even die and get injured. The dogs start to fight with other animals for food. Eventually Jerry does find a way to go back to the dogs. They found a helicopter, they land on a barge ship, through which they reach the Italian base, and they take a powerful mobile sledge to the American base.
For 175 days the dogs have been alone. Maya is injured. When Jerry reaches five dogs come back running to him, the fastest in the group was Max. The dogs and Jerry are very excited to see each other. Max takes Jerry to Maya, who is alive but very weak. For the six of them to survive through this arduous task and reach home is a very nice ending.
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