CinemaNow - Eight Below

A film in which eight dogs are the stars is getting four-paws-up reviews from several critics. Writes Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe: The 16 or so huskies playing the eight sled dogs in Disney's umpteenth animal adventure, Eight Below, do Oscar-caliber acting. They race, heel, attack, lick, and fall over. And at least one has a mean death scene. At nearly every turn, I swear I knew what they were thinking and how they were feeling. Steven Rea in the Philadelphia Inquirer compares the film with the old Disney True Adventure feature documentaries, and concludes that it amounts to a crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking adventure yarn. Allison Benedict in the Chicago Tribune calls it the Brian's Song of dog movies -- schmaltzy, feel-goody, inspired-by-a-true-story-y. It's formulaic and frequently over the top, 30 minutes too long and altogether too slow, but oh when those gorgeous, graceful pups tilt their heads just so ... love. Several reviewers advise: Bring lots of Kleenex.

I have been the owner of Siberian Huskies, and can read the body language of these magnificent working animals.I have been behind a 7-dog hitch averaging 20 miles an hour over a 20 mile course.They seem to be able to pace themselves, and don't tire easily.That being said, I loved this movie.It was, however, a little slow in some spots, but the action sequences made up for it.The sequence at the end of the film where Max wouldn't leave without Maya showed the team loyalty of these dogs.Very entertaining, and similar to, "Snow Dogs".