Synopsis

After a brutal storm forces an Antarctic research team to evacuate, guide Jerry Shepard is compelled to leave his eight sled dogs behind. When the evacuation becomes permanent, the dogs must survive the polar winter on their own. Haunted by their fate, Jerry spends months pursuing a way back to the abandoned base and the animals who depend on him.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is a remake of the 1983 Japanese Antarctic adventure film Antarctica, which was inspired by the real-life 1958 Japanese Antarctic expedition.

• Eight Below was originally developed under the title Antarctica: The Journey Home.

• Although the story is set in Antarctica, filming took place in Svalbard, Norway, Greenland, and British Columbia, Canada.

• More than 30 dogs were used during production, with each featured dog having at least one stunt double. Several of the dogs had also appeared in Disney's Snow Dogs.

• Stan Winston Studio created live-action animatronic effects for scenes that were too dangerous or demanding for real animals.

• The film was released in U.S. theaters on February 17, 2006. Made for approximately $40 million, it earned more than $120 million worldwide.

• The dogs' changing social roles were shaped partly by their real behavior. Production notes describe the animals establishing a hierarchy that closely reflected the personalities assigned to them in the story.