Described by Marcel Duchamp as "a fairy tale for grown-ups", 8×8 resembles a portal leading to an exploration of the fantasy world while using the fixed rules of chess to stimulate our imagination. Written by Hans Richter, the grandfather of experimental film, who cites Lewis Carroll and Sigmund Freud in the opening crawl, the film is composed of narrative segments. Famous friends, including Jean Cocteau, Max Ernst, Paul Bowles, Jean Arp, Alexander Calder, and, in the Venetian episode, Peggy Guggenheim, complete the assemblage of exceptional personalities.