The always-informative Simpsons Channel has news from the always-informative TVShowsOnDVD.com about the upcoming DVD release of the Simpsons Movie. The information was relayed to TVShowsOnDVD through some folks in the industry, so everything I mention here is subject to change. Still, I couldn't resist this opportunity to whet fans' appetites.

The DVD will be out on December 18, and it will be circular. Also, the film will be available in both full screen and widescreen formats. I don't know why you'd want to buy full screen, unless you want to sit and pretend you're watching an extra-long episode of the TV series.

They've chosen a director for the new Simpsons movie, and it's Steven Spielberg.

Wait. I'm sorry, I didn't have my glasses on. The director is actually David Silverman, a name Simpsons fans should immediately recognize. Silverman is a supervising animation director on the show and also worked on the movie Monsters, Inc.

While I'm sure David Silverman's direction will be just fine, I wonder if they ever considered having Brad Bird direct the film (or if Bird was even available, for that matter). Bird seems like an obvious choice to me, having worked on The Simpsons and also having helmed two of the more well-respected animated films in recent years, The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. I think a mix of Simpson-y irreverence mixed with Bird's knack for storytelling would have been nice, but oh well. I'm still excited, regardless.

Oh yeah, and Sitcoms Online is reporting that Albert Brooks (one of my favorite occasional guest voices) will make an appearance in the movie, too. This movie just keeps sounding better.