Graham Chapman played many key parts as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python. On their BBC sketch show, Flying Circus, a dry demeanor made him a perfect straight man. On film, it was a quality that shaped his reluctant Christ figure in The Life of Brian — and his befuddled King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail — just two of the countless roles he took on before an untimely death in 1989. Now, 23 years later, his life is (kind of) the subject of the animated 3D comedy A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman.

Directed by Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson, and Ben Timlett, A Liar’s Autoiography presents a fictionalized account of the comedian’s life. Based on the his published memoirs, the film uses recently discovered audio tapes of Chapman to create the narration. Pythons John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin (no Eric Idle) provide additional voice work by playing themselves and other characters, including members of Chapman’s family.

See trailer, courtesy of BleedingCool, below:

As evidenced by the footage, the film was the work of 14 different animation studios, making it not only a tribute to Chapman’s life, but a testament to the awesome variety of animated art out there today. A Liar’s Autobiography will premiere this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Are you glad to see Monty Python reunite for a project like this?