Eight Below [Blu-ray]

Director: Frank Marshall, Bruce Hendricks Frank Marshall

Overview

Eight brave sled dogs search for the master who is looking for a way to rescue them in this adventure drama. An American geologist (Bruce Greenwood) flies to Antarctica to participate in a project at the United States Research Base, where he teams up with arctic guide Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) and his best friend, Cooper (Jason Biggs). The scientist soon discovers that Shepard also has eight other valuable friends -- a pack of sled dogs he's worked with for years, who have rescued him from a number of tight spots. As the three men explore a frozen mountain region, an unexpected accident coupled with a massive storm front forces them to fly to safety, leaving the dogs behind. Shepard is determined to rescue his canine friends, but he has to wait until the weather will allow him to travel back to the mountain, while the dogs struggle against the elements to survive as they attempt to make their way back home. Eight Below was inspired by a true story involving Japanese researchers exploring the Antarctic in 1957; the story was made into the film Nankyoku Monogatari.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/19/2006
UPC:	0786936718829
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:00:00
Sales rank:	5,643

Special Features

Feature film: ; Audio commentary with director Frank Marshall, actor Paul Walker, and director of photography Don Burgess; Blu-scape: ; ICE a high definition short film by award-winning filmmaker Loule Schwartzberg; Movie showcase: ; Instant access to select movie scenes that showcase the ultimate in high definition picture and sound; Seamless menus

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

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

Technical Credits

Dave DiGilio

Frank Marshall	Director,Executive Producer
Dave DiGilio	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Patrick Crowley	Producer
David Hoberman	Producer
Roy Lee	Executive Producer
Steve Smith	Key Grip
Heike Brandstatter	Casting
Oakley Lehman	Stunts
Masaru Kakutani	Executive Producer
Deborah Aquila	Casting
Gary Barber	Executive Producer
Christine Iso	Executive Producer
Todd Lieberman	Executive Producer
Ron Bowen	Key Grip
Coreen Mayrs	Casting
Roger Birnbaum	Executive Producer
Ezra Migel	Key Grip
Marshall Virtue	Stunts
Kirk Francis	Sound Mixer
Bruce Hendricks	Director

Editorial Reviews

It would be easy to dismiss this movie about dogs stranded in the Antarctic as just another Disney wildlife film, not unlike those the studio churned out during the 1950s and '60s. But Eight Below is a rattling good yarn and not as kiddies-oriented as its trailers would have you believe. An expedition to the South Pole, commissioned by Dr. Davis McClaren (Bruce Greenwood), comes to an abrupt end and requires the immediate evacuation of everyone in the camp. Youthful guide Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) is forced to leave behind the eight huskies that made up his dogsled team, forcing the canines to fend for themselves while he tries unsuccessfully to mount a rescue effort. Director Frank Marshall juggles two sets of characters -- humans and huskies -- and does an altogether admirable job. The efforts of the stranded dogs to scavenge food and keep from freezing are detailed with remarkable realism, and a combination of scene compositions, camera angles, and ingenious editing makes it appear that the dogs are communicating with each other. The human performers, for their parts, have the advantage of being given dialogue, and they make the most of it. As the film's nominal star, Walker does a better-than-adequate job, but secondary lead Greenwood nearly steals the show with his superior performance as the scientist who regrets leaving the dogs behind -- especially because they saved his life on the trip to the camp -- but sees it as the only real option. At times Eight Below is pretty grim, befitting the predicament of its four-legged protagonists, but all in all it's a stirring and uplifting drama that will entertain adults as well as kids.