Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is a 1983 musical comedy film by the Monty Python comedy team. Unlike their previous two films, which had told a single, coherent story, The Meaning of Life returns to the sketch comedy format of the original television series, being a series of comic skits about the various stages of life. It was the last of the Monty Python films.
Don Hertzfeldt single-handedly animated and photographed tens of thousands of drawings for the film, over the course of four years.
Many of the film's complicated animation and visual effect sequences required several months of work just to produce a few second's worth of finished screen time.
Over 60 actors recorded vocal performances for over 150 individual animated human characters. These intense first three minutes of the film alone - "the crowd scenes" - took around two years to complete.
Over 45 minutes of footage was reportedly photographed for the film's final 12 minute running time. This is an enormous shooting ratio for any animated film, due to the unprecedented amount of special effects and experimental lighting techniques that required multiple takes.
All special effects were done "in camera", no CGI was used in the production of this film.
The comedy groups last full length movie returns to the feel of the hugely popular BBC TV show. It features small comedy sketches dealing with all of the stages and trials of life. Expect the un-expected. Plenty of religious, vulgar, and sexual humor may offend some groups. There are even musical numbers, but with that same unmistakable brand of Python humor. Written by Greg Bole
The Monty Python group examines the meaning and purpose of life in a series of sketches from conception to death and beyond. In typical Monty Python fashion they satirizes and humourizes almost everyone. Written by Baldach Jones
