Ted (2012)

Ted is a 2012 American comedy film written, directed, and co-produced by Seth MacFarlane in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett, a Boston man whose childhood wish brought his teddy bear Ted to life. Now adults, John and Ted, voiced by MacFarlane, are still inseparable best friends — but Ted's crude behavior, substance abuse, and determination to keep John in a state of permanent adolescence threatens John's relationship with his girlfriend Lori, played by Mila Kunis.

Seth MacFarlane brought his Family Guy sensibility to the big screen, combining irreverent pop culture references, boundary-pushing humor, and surprisingly genuine emotional moments about the difficulty of growing up and the fear of losing childhood connections. The visual effects that brought Ted to life were remarkably sophisticated — the bear was rendered as a fully photorealistic CGI character who interacted convincingly with the live-action environment and actors, and MacFarlane's vocal performance gave Ted a distinct personality that transcended the technological achievement. Mark Wahlberg's willingness to play straight man to a vulgar stuffed animal with complete sincerity was essential to the film's success.

Ted earned $549 million worldwide on a $50 million budget, making it the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time at that point and establishing MacFarlane as a viable film comedy brand.