Eight Below (2006)
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A guide at an Antarctic research base risks everything to save his abandoned sled dogs from the frozen wilderness.
The story
In January 1993, Jerry Shepard, a guide at a National Science Foundation Antarctic research base, is tasked with taking a professor to Mount Melbourne to find a rare meteorite. Due to poor ice conditions, they must travel by dog sled. During the journey, a sudden storm forces them to turn back, but the professor falls into freezing water and breaks his leg. Shepard manages to pull him out, and they struggle against hypothermia and near-whiteout conditions to reach the base. Once they arrive, the human crew is evacuated, leaving the sled dogs behind in the harsh weather.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In January 1993, Jerry Shepard leads UCLA professor Dr. Davis McClaren to Mount Melbourne via dog sled to find a meteorite. A storm strikes, and McClaren falls into freezing water, breaking his leg. Shepard rescues him, and they reach the base, where humans are evacuated but the dogs are left behind. Shepard tries to organize a rescue, but no one will finance it until McClaren provides his grant money five months later. The eight dogs—Maya, Old Jack, Shorty, Dewey, Truman, Shadow, Buck, and Max—survive in the wild. Old Jack remains chained, while Maya leads the others to find food. Dewey dies of a wound, and Max becomes separated from the pack. Maya leads the group to a Russian base, while Max finds the American base. After a dangerous encounter with a leopard seal that leaves Maya injured, the dogs reunite. Shepard eventually reaches the base with friends and finds the bodies of Old Jack and Dewey, but is reunited with the surviving dogs, including a weak but alive Maya.
- Original title
- Antarctica: The Journey Home
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Frank Marshall
- Cast and characters
- Paul Walker · Jerry Shepard; Bruce Greenwood · Davis McClaren; Moon Bloodgood · Katie; Jason Biggs · Charlie 'Coop' Cooper; Belinda Metz · Rosemary Paris; Connor Levins · Eric McClaren; Duncan Fraser · Captain Lovett; Michael David Simms · Armin Butler
- Genres
- survival drama
- Themes
- survival; loyalty; friendship
- Tone and mood
- intense; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- survival; dogs; disaster; adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- Antarctica (1983 Japanese film)
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was generally well-received by audiences, though some noted its length and inaccuracies regarding Antarctic weather.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A to F
- Awards and nominations
- ASCAP Award · Top Box Office Films · 2007 · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Antarctica: The Journey Home.; The film was dedicated to the memory of Koreyoshi Kurahara.; Over 30 dogs were used to portray the film's eight canine characters.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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