Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper is a 2004 American-Canadian direct-to-DVD computer animated musical fantasy film, and the first musical in the Barbie film series. It is directed by William Lau and stars the voice of Kelly Sheridan as the Barbie protagonists, Anneliese and Erika. The film is loosely inspired by the 1881 Mark Twain novel "The Prince and the Pauper", but unrelated to the 1939 film "The Princess and the Pauper". It is the first Barbie classic film that completely excludes fantastic elements (fairies, magic, mermaids, etc), which were a usual part of Barbie franchise.