By Dan Dunn
Special to the Daily Press

The movie: Eight Below
The director: Frank Marshall
The stars: Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood

Disney may have miscalculated in marketing “Eight Below” as lightweight kids’ fare (see the “dog playing poker” clip in the trailer), for this super survival film has something to offer film lovers of all ages. A throwback to the days when the Mouse was king of live-action animal pics, director Frank Marshall’s winter-bound wonder unabashedly exploits our unconditional love for man’s best friend. We’re talking “Old Yeller” to the eighth degree type stuff here, so be forewarned: you’re bound to shed a few tears, maybe even cry like a baby in the theater.

Paul Walker (“Into the Blue,” “Timeline”) stars as Jerry Shepard, a survival guide stationed at a remote outpost in Antarctica who is forced to abandon his beloved team of eight sled dogs in the wake of a devastating winter storm. Having reluctantly returned to the U.S., Jerry is determined to return to the outpost to save the presumably doomed dogs, but nasty weather and an empty bank account conspire against him. Good thing, too, because this film is at its best when we’re with the pooches, who do some incredible things in order to survive for nearly six months in the harshest climate on earth. They don’t give Oscars to animals and their trainers, but if they did, the entire canine crew would be a lock.

Walker acquits himself surprisingly well as the rugged leading man in a winning cast that also includes Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood and fresh-faced newcomer Moon Bloodgood (a former model and LA Laker cheerleader). But the undisputed show-stealers are the huskies and malamutes, who make “Eight Below” a film worth wagging our tails over.

(Rated PG. Running time: 120 minutes)