In Spins a Web, the kids go to a drive-in theater and see the in-universe movie "Stand by Your Mantis" (which is a parody of Airplane! and Godzilla). When Phoebe discovers that she is able to communicate with the movie's cast (saying "Surely, there's a better way to trap a mantis than that", and the characters respond), they eventually enter the movie and meet the protagonist, General Araneus, where they trap an enormous praying mantis themselves.