TORONTO - Eugene Levy says he relishes doing voice work for animated films such as "Astro Boy" because it requires him to stretch as an actor.

"It's a good exercise for me because I get taken places that I rarely go in my work," the former SCTV funnyman said during a recent telephone interview from Los Angeles.

"You're elevated out of that safety zone. You're doing things that you can't believe you're actually doing."

Levy, whose previous animation work includes "Over the Hedge" and "Curious George," says the experience of going into a studio all by himself and conjuring up an over-the-top voice is an odd one.

"Everybody records individually . . . Normally you're in there just doing your lines. The director will read through a scene with you reading the other parts.

"The funniest thing is when you have to do your grunts and groans. And they say: 'Give us a handful of grunts, like you've been hit in the stomach,"' said Levy, demonstrating a series of his best "oomphs" and "aaahs."

Based on the 1960s TV series, "Astro Boy" tells the story of a scientist (Nicolas Cage) who builds a robot version of his son, Toby, after the child dies in an accident.

He soon realizes that his creation lacks the "human-ness" of Toby and rejects the boy, who finds companionship with a rag-tag group of children and their caretaker (Nathan Lane) in a junkyard filled with broken-down robots.

Levy, who was raised in Hamilton and has a home in Toronto, plays Toby's high-strung robot butler Orrin.

The way he approaches voice work has changed, Levy said, since he signed on to do "Curious George." To prep for that film, he pored over the script and ruminated on his character.

He's since learned that such groundwork usually goes out the window when he gets in the recording studio.

"You really have to keep your mind open and have nothing prepared because they're going to put you through some paces," said Levy.

"You're going to be doing just about everything 10 or 15 different ways until they get what it is they're actually looking for. That process is a really interesting way to work."

The star of "American Pie" and "Taking Woodstock" also concedes that the creativity of voice work has taught him a good lesson -- one that seems particularly valuable in the ego-driven world of Hollywood.

"To go in and know that you have to be that flexible is not a terrible thing to carry on to a film set," said Levy.

"There's no one way to do it, and you have to keep your mind open to suggestions from your director to go a different way."

"Astro Boy" hits Canadian theatres Friday.