WIRE Buzz: Stoned Kevin Smith weeps to Onward; The Willoughbys trailer; more

A coronavirus quarantine has affected many in the entertainment business differently, with some making more of their isolated time than others. Kevin Smith, nerd extraordinaire and director of films like Dogma, decided it was the perfect time to catch up on the latest offering from Pixar: Onward. The only twist when it came to his consumption of the Chris Pratt and Tom Holland team-up? The accompanying consumption of marijuana.

“Bad idea to wake and bake and watch ONWARD…” the filmmaker wrote on Facebook before livestreaming 14 minutes of solid tears during his rental of the animated film. 

The Dan Scanlon-directed movie about two elf brothers on a quest to meet their late father was always going to be sad, but due to its theatrical absence in the wake of pandemic cancellations, it’s now available for home viewing much quicker than normal big-budget films’ distributions. That’s allowed those like Smith, who perhaps want a more intimate viewing experience, the ability to get some privacy for those ugly tears.

Take a look:

This is worse than every theater when it screened Up for the first time. Smith continued speaking during the video of his deep dives during his home stay, as well as what particularly affected him about Onward. “Watch Onward...oh f***... Get a whole box of this s***,” he said, waving some tissues.

Onward is out on Digital now.

Next, there’s nothing like a bit of murder to start off your animated children’s movie, right? That’s the premise behind The Willoughbys...in so many words. The Netflix film from directors Kris Pearn and Cory Evans, based on Lois Lowry’s book of the same name, is all about four siblings trying to rid themselves of their terrible parents - with one very dangerous plan.

The kids — voiced by Will Forte, Alessia Cara, and Vincent Tong (voicing twins) — want to send their mom (Jane Krakowski) and dad (Martin Short) on a vacation. A deadly vacation, as a matter of fact.

Check it out:

One candy factory, nanny, and encounter with sinister family services later, and the Willoughbys are on the run. But not because they’re wanted for attempted murder, somehow. It’s too sweet a film for that, it seems. Maya Rudolph, Terry Crews, and Ricky Gervais also star.

The Willoughbys begin their plot on April 22.

Finally, the next iteration of an iconic manga finally has a premiere date. The final trailer for Netflix’s CG animated Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 reveals that Major Motoko Kusanagi will bring her Public Security Section 9 crew back to fight crimes on April 23.

The show, from Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama, takes place in 2045 and features the return of returning Ghost in the Shell SAC cast members Atsushi Nakanaka (the Major), Akio Takatsuka (Bato), and Hirota Takaji (Togusa). 

Fans can learn a bit more in the latest tease for the show:

“The sustainable war has brought about a new dominant species called ‘posthuman’,” the show’s intertitles read. This partially explains the man the Major has a fistfight with during the trailer — and why her cybernetic body is struggling to defeat him. 

Fans can find out more about this new threat, and see the rest of the new art style in action, when Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 hits Netflix on April 23.