From NetFlix:

When an unforeseen accident forces a trio of Antarctic scientists (Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood and Jason Biggs) to leave behind their team of steadfast sled dogs, the animals must survive a cruel and punishing winter on their own without human contact. Revealing his penchant for subzero survival stories, Frank Marshall (Alive) helmed this heartrending drama, which was adapted from a Japanese film based on real events.

Yikes! Not only a dog story, but (gasp) a general rated Walt Disney film to boot! What was I thinking! Guess what … I LOVED IT!

Forget the fairly juvenile and at times maudlin human interactions. Those dog actors were amazing. I here quote from the Wikipedia article:

The 1958 ill-fated Japanese expedition to Antarctica inspired the 1983 hit film Nankyoku Monogatari. Eight Below is the adaptation of the events of the 1958 incident moved forward to 1993. Dog teams were removed from the ice in February 1994. In the 1958 event, fifteen Sakhalin Husky sled dogs were abandoned when the expedition team was unable to return to the base. When the team returned a year later, two dogs were still alive. Another seven were still chained up and dead, and six unaccounted for.

In Eight Below there are two Alaskan Malamutes (Buck and Shadow) and six Siberian Huskies (Maya, Max, Truman, Dewey, Shorty and Old Jack). Each actor-dog had help from other dogs that performed stunts and pulled sleds. In all, over 30 dogs were used to portray the film’s eight canine characters. Max, Maya, Dewey and Buck (Old Jack’s stunt double) were played by dogs seen in Disney’s Snow Dogs.

Is it true that dog teams have a hierarchy so strong that when the dogs are very hungry and manage to capture food (e.g. leaping up and catching a bird), all the lucky dogs defer to the leader by bringing the food to the leader without eating it ?

One critic was concerned that for very young children, the dog portion could be too strong. After all, not all the dogs survive. You see some dogs die. But you also see the survivors mourning and caring for the suffering dogs. Could this be real ?

Yes, I was glued to my seat (despite the length of the film) and yes I had goose flesh at the appropriate “Aw Shucks” moments.