REVENGE OF THE LIVING TED

Lisa Marie and Vernon meet the mind behind the teddy-bear–animating contraption from Night of the Living Ted (2020).

The morning after the teddy-bear takeover, Lisa Marie and Vernon wake up to a world in which, aside from them, no one has any recollection of it. While they try to puzzle out why (and find a new birthday gift for Lisa Marie’s dad, since they’re too attached to Bearvis to give him up after their shared adventure), they are abducted by the exceptionally hairy inventor of the Stuff-U-Lator. Ursine Kodiak is a self-declared genius whose “mother was a Nobel Prize–winning physicist” and whose “father was a he-witch.” With his army of bears (and tanks and jets), he clearly wants to take over the world—though when he remembers to, he claims he wants to save it. Like all good mad scientists, Kodiak suffers from hubris, and he re-creates the brainwaves of the exceptional evil teddy, Grizz, as an artificial intelligence. Grizz, of course, quickly breaks free to become the main antagonist again. While there are definitely giggles, this sequel doesn’t maintain the joke density of its predecessor. Taking place almost entirely in Kodiak’s secret factory, it doesn’t have as much tension, either. However, the kids’ solutions—which include using Kodiak’s video-gaming bully bears against him and copious poop emojis—will amuse the audience. Human characters are illustrated white; the epilogue sets up a third installment.

A middle-book step down; best seen as a bridge to the next book.