I am almost totally caught up on the films of 2007. The only major awards contender I haven't seen yet is Pixar's Ratatouille. Damn you Netflix and your "Very Long Wait" status! I've heard great things though, and now I've got an added reason to check out the DVD. Over at JimHillmedia, a Disney-focused news site, a reader wrote in: "Can you please help me win a bet at work? A co-worker of mine says that WALL-E makes a brief cameo appearance in Ratatouille. More importantly, this guy has bet me $100 that I'll never ever be able to find that robot in this movie." (WALL-E is the title character of Pixar's next film -- WALL-E.) The post answers that question and adds a really neat compilation of lots of the "cameos," in-jokes, and easter eggs in Pixar shorts and features.

It seems there are all kinds of callbacks and interconnections in the Pixar universe, and you fans of the films should definitely check out the site. It will help you watch the movies with fresh eyes. Some of the crossovers are very fast and will require a pause button. For example, the birds from the Pixar short "For the Birds" appear in Cars...for a tenth of a second. Others are much easier to spot. Look carefully at those toys in Monsters, Inc. and you'll see some old friends. A boy at the dentist in Finding Nemo is reading an Incredibles comic. And did you know that a "Pizza Planet" truck drives through each and every Pixar feature? Oh, and by the way, it sounds like that guy who wrote in to the site was duped. if you want to find WALL-E, he's not in Ratatouille, just the disc's special features. Rats!

When it comes to picking "scary movie" fare for kids, you want to walk that line between "just scary enough to be fun" versus "gives them nightmares for weeks." Of course, the appropriateness of any of these picks depends on your particular child and their tolerance for all things spooky, but here's a list of picks that I think my own brood (ages 10, 8, 6 and 4) would enjoy. Best of all, they're all available on DVD, so you can rent (or buy) them and watch them over and over again!

Ghostbusters -- My husband and I realized recently that our kids had never seen Ghostbusters, and set out to remedy that with a stop at the video store. I wondered how the film, now 23 years old, would play to kids raised on spectacular CGI special effects; I needn't have worried, as they were enthralled from start to finish. They laughed hysterically at the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, and even loved the Ray Parker, Jr. theme song -- they sang and danced along with the song sequence, gleefully shouting "Ghostbusters!" at the appropriate times. Thankfully, none of them have (yet) asked to be the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man for Halloween -- not that that wouldn't be a cool costume, I just don't have time to make one -- though I suppose if I was really lazy I could just bungee-cord some pillows to their arms and legs, slap on a sailor collar and hat, and call it good.

According to an article in The Washington Post (via Variety), Disney and Pixar are reuniting...and it feels so good. The two are very close to announcing a new distribution pact that will provide further shelter for Pixar within the house that mouse built. Specifics of the deal have not been discussed publicly (think along the lines of Disney retaining distribution rights on all Pixar films, including sequels)and executives on both sides are remaining quiet, possibly until after the holidays.

Word on the street is that one of the reasons why Pixar has had a change of heart is because their executives have been given unprecedented access to "Circle 7;" a secret Disney division formed under Michael Eisner. This super top secret division is said to be specifically in charge of producing Pixar sequels of mass destruction. Now, if that's not supposed to freak you out, I don't know what is.

Currently, production has already started on Toy Story 3, and there will soon be an announcement regarding another sequel which will be chosen amongst several scripts. So far it seems the frontrunners include Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc.

[via Moviehole]