Julia Roberts goes in search of Smurfs: The Lost Village

Julia Roberts is feeling blue after getting animated for the new The Smurfs movie.

The Notting Hill star has added her Oscar-winning talents to the cast of Smurfs: The Lost Village and she will be dispensing words of wisdom as new character SmurfWillow.

"Smurfs are such a fun part of our animated culture," the mother-of-three tells People.com. "They were popular when I was a child and they were popular when my kids were little. It's fun to be part of such a sweet group that continues to entertain young people."

And Roberts wasn't the only one who enjoyed working on the project - director Kelly Asbury had a blast with the Hollywood superstar.

"I am thrilled with Julia Roberts' performance in Smurfs: The Lost Village," the Shrek 2 filmmaker gushes. "Julia brings to the role a sense of honesty and depth, thus helping to create truth to the reality of the entire story."

He adds, "It was a blast working with Julia - whose real-life generous, good-natured spirit translates beautifully in giving voice to this new, mysterious character."

Julia is no stranger to animated films - she previously voiced characters for The Ant Bully and Charlotte's Web.

She joins a cast which already includes Mandy Patinkin as Papa Smurf and Demi Lovato as Smurfette, a role previously voiced by fellow pop star Katy Perry.

Joe Manganiello, Jack McBrayer, Danny Pudi also co-star as Smurfs, while comedian Rainn Wilson will tackle evil wizard Gargamel, the character previously played by Hank Azaria.

The all-new animated adventure will follow the Smurfs as they compete against Gargamel to locate the titular Lost Village and uncover a big Smurfs secret. Smurfs: The Lost Village is set for release in April (17).