Pun Salad

This is the usual work of genius from Hayao Miyazaki. There's more beauty and creativity in five milliseconds of this movie than in the entirety of Barnyard.

The hero is young Sophie, who lives a humdrum life, employed in a hat store. The hat store is, however, set in a world of steam power and magic, where a far-off castle wandering in the hills is seen by people as just a slightly unusual occurrence. One day, however, Sophie's—literally—swept off her feet by a wizard. And it's off on a life-changing adventure.

As is the norm in Miyazaki's work, not everything is as it seems initially. The plot is devilishly complex, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't do well on a quiz. The world you're dumped into is full of characters that are operating under their own rules and motivations, most of which aren't spelled out. Never mind, it's fun to watch.

The talent brought in to do the voices in English is first-rate: Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Christian Bale, and Billy Crystal.