Ted

Ted (stylized as ted) is a 2012 American fantasy comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane (in his directorial debut) and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. 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 film tells the story of 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 John's relationship with his girlfriend, Lori Collins. MacFarlane's feature-length directorial debut, the film is produced by Media Rights Capital 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 2012, is the second highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time (behind The Hangover Part II) 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 currently in development. Plot In 1985, eight-year-old John Bennett is a friendless only child living in Norwood, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, who wishes for his new Christmas gift, a jumbo teddy bear named Ted, to come to life and become his best friend. The wish coincides with a shooting star and comes true. Word spreads and Ted briefly becomes a celebrity.