8 Below

Disney sure has toughened up in its newest tale of animal survival against impossible odds. Fans of Homeward Bound's chatty pets and slow motion reunions may need to bring a few extra tissues to this doggy flick. Though the film still offers plenty of classic heartwarming, clap-your-hands moments, there's certainly a few shockers to go with them (read: at one point, a vicious dinosaur-like leopard seal lunges out of a dead killer whale carcass). Audiences will either appreciate this unexpectedly credible film, or run home to their dogs muttering about how they would have gone back for Old Jack and the team.

Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) is the "go-to guy" for Antarctic expeditions in rough terrain. For geologist David McLaren (Bruce Greenwood), Shepard and his team of eight beautiful dogs, or as he calls them, "the kids," represent his only hope in getting to a supposed meteor rock on a distant mountain surrounded by thin ice and unstable glaciers. Walker is surprisingly charismatic as the able sled driver, though that's probably because his lines are restricted to a couple dramatic "Hikes!" every time McLaren topples off the ice and has to be dragged to safety by the valiant dogs.

Hypothermia and forecasts of a severe storm force Walker and the human team to fly to the nearest military base, and of course, the dogs must be left behind. With the humans blown north and out of the picture for large stretches of time, it's this adorable group of blue-eyed huskies and fuzzy malamutes who really steal the show. Forget Walker's golden boy charms and Jason Bigg's neurotic sidekick character Cooper; it's Truman, Shorty, Shadow, Old Jack, Max, Dewey, Buck and Maya that exhibit some superb acting. They don't talk, but they exhibit more facial expressions than Walker and Biggs combined (plus, they gesture with their paws-cuuuute). Whether it's wise team leader Maya staring intently at disobedient pup Max, or the wonder on each dogs' faces as an aurora borealis sweeps across the Antarctic sky, these incredible canines are more than enough to make up for the occasional plot lapse. Did someone say...Dog Oscars?