Ted (2012)

Ted (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2012 American fantasy buddy stoner comedy film directed and co-produced by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild based on a story written by MacFarlane. The first installment in the Ted franchise, the film stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles, and MacFarlane providing the voice and motion capture of the title character. The story follows John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. However, in adulthood, Ted and John's friendship begins to interfere with the progression of the latter's worklife and his relationship with his girlfriend, Lori Collins.

MacFarlane's feature-length directorial debut, the film was produced by Media Rights Capital, Fuzzy Door Productions, Bluegrass Films and Smart Entertainment, and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was released in theaters in the United States on June 29, 2012, and was a box office hit, grossing $549.4 million against a $50–65 million budget. Ted was the highest-grossing comedy film of the year and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It received generally positive reviews and successfully launched a franchise, with a sequel released in 2015 and a prequel television series in 2024.