In an unnamed kingdom, a blondeprincess and a brunettepauper are born at the same time. Several years later, the Princess, Anneliese, is betrothed by her mother, Queen Genevieve, to the wealthy King Dominick to save the nearly bankrupt royal treasury, but she is in love with her young tutor, Julian. The Pauper, Erika, is an indentured servant at Madame Carp's Dress Emporium, working off her parents' debt, but dreams of becoming a singer and seeing the world. Unbeknownst to the Queen, the reason behind the kingdom's bankruptcy is her adviser, Preminger, who has been stealing the gold from the royal mines. Upon learning from his henchmen, Nick and Nack, that the Queen has arranged Anneliese's marriage to King Dominick, he decides to make Anneliese mysteriously disappear, which will cancel the engagement, then Preminger can pretend that he has found her and earn her hand in marriage, allowing him to accede the throne and become king. Julian takes Anneliese for a day out into the kingdom so that she can be free for once. Anneliese hears Erika, who is performing in the street to earn money for herself, but Madame Carp collects it as part of her debt. Anneliese and Erika meet and learn they are identical, apart from their hair color and the crown-shaped birthmark on Anneliese's shoulder. The two bond over their shared troubles and become fast friends. That night, Anneliese and her cat Serafina are abducted by Nick and Nack, who leave a false letter saying she ran away. Julian, doubting the letter, asks Erika to impersonate the Princess, saving the engagement while he investigates Anneliese's disappearance. Preminger is surprised when Erika, disguised as Anneliese, presents herself at the palace. King Dominick introduces himself to the disguised Erika; over time, the two fall in love, but Erika is worried about what will happen if she is found out. The real Anneliese escapes Nick and Nack, but is turned away from the palace because the guards think the Princess is already inside. Mistaking Anneliese for Erika, Madame Carp forces Anneliese into her shop and locks her inside. A suspicious Julian follows Preminger to the house where Anneliese was being kept and overhears Preminger's plans to become the king, but is discovered and captured. Anneliese uses her cat Serafina to take her ring and a tag from the dress shop so someone can find her. Unfortunately, Preminger and his dog Midas intercept her. Preminger takes Anneliese to the royal mines where she is imprisoned with Julian after Nick and Nack cause a cave-in. Preminger goes back to the palace, exposes Erika as a fake and has her imprisoned. Preminger convinces the Queen that Anneliese is dead and that they must marry to save the kingdom; with no other options, she reluctantly agrees. Erika escapes the dungeon by singing a lullaby, causing the guard to fall asleep, and taking his keys. She bumps into King Dominick who tells her that he doesn't believe Preminger's claims about her. Meanwhile, Anneliese and Julian find out how to restore the kingdom's resources with some geodes filled with crystals; the two then confess their love for each other. Erika's barking cat, Wolfie, unearths a mine shaft and the group escapes by flooding the room and floating towards the surface in a barrel. At the Queen and Preminger's wedding, Anneliese arrives, proves her identity with her birthmark, and reveals the truth about Preminger, who is soon arrested along with Nick and Nack. Anneliese tells her mother that she wants to marry Julian and that they can help the kingdom. Thanks to the crystals in the mine, the kingdom is saved; Madame Carp goes out of business, and, with her debt finally paid, Erika leaves to become a renowned singer. After touring the world, Erika realizes where her heart is and decides to return home to marry Dominick. Anneliese and Erika have a double wedding and they and their husbands ride off in a carriage together.
Voice cast
Soundtrack
This film is the first musical in the series of Barbie CGI films. The entire soundtrack can be found on the "Barbie Sings! The Princess Movie Song Collection" CD, released by Mattel in 2004. The songs in the film are, in chronological order, as follows.
DVD Verdict called it "wholesome entertainment" with "sweet songs tunefully sung" though lacking in grown-up humor. Entertainment Weekly scored it a B+, noting a generally "feminist" story, and DVD extras including seven sing-along tracks. TV Guide scored it 2.5/4, praising the "peppy score" and classic story as distinguishing an otherwise "ordinary Mattel-icized version of the classic tale".
A video game for Game Boy Advance, PC, and Macintosh was released in 2004 by Vivendi Universal Games. In the Game Boy Advance title, the plot follows that of the movie: players must thwart Preminger's attempt to take over the kingdom by marrying Anneliese. Players control four characters: Anneliese, Erika, Serafina, and Wolfie.
