Outkast's Andre in 'Charlotte's Web'

MELBOURNE, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Outkast's Andre 3000 will voice the part of a crow in a live action/animated adaptation of "Charlotte's Web."

As the dimwitted crow Elwyn, the rapper will work alongside Julia Roberts in the role of Charlotte, the spider who saves Wilbur the pig from being slaughtered by weaving messages about him into her web, MTV.com reported.

Dakota Fanning plays Fern, the little girl who befriends them both, while a big-name lineup voices farm animals -- Oprah Winfrey and Cedric the Entertainer as the geese Gussie and Golly, Kathy Bates and Reba McEntire as the cows Bitsy and Betsy, and John Cleese as Samuel the sheep.

The 1952 children's book by E.B. White was made into an animated film in 1973, but the new production will employ the same technique used for the "Babe" and "Stuart Little" films to make it appear as if the live-action animals are actually speaking.

Production is due to begin at the end of the month in Australia.