MUMBAI: Barbie doll's first-ever musical feature film, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, will debut on Cartoon Network in the 'cartoon theatre' section on 21 November at 12 pm.

The repeat follows at 5 pm on the same day. The movie is dubbed in Hindi and a special repeat telecast on 27 December.

The movie, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper teaches girls about hope, self-discovery and the strength of friendship and love. The film is based on the classic tale by Mark Twain. It has received a modern-day makeover and is played out through the amazing technology of CGI animation, says a company release.

The story revolves around how two girls, identical in looks and born at the same time, but in two extreme households - one as a rich princess and the other as a struggling pauper a simple village girl.

The common thread in both their stories is on how they dream of doing something big in their lives, of living their lives the way they want. But they are also aware of the responsibilities that rest on their shoulders and are confident of fulfilling their duties and achieving their dreams, says the release.

An intersting aspect of this animated film is the first time inclusion of seven songs in a Barbie movie.

As a promotion special edition, Mattel has introduced innovative new products to bring the movie to life. The toy maker has introduced the Princess Anneliese and Erika dolls, who are touted as the two lyrical maidens. They not sing solo but also complement each other in pitch-perfect harmony for a duet of I'm Just Like You, You're Just Like Me, just as they do in the movie, informs the release.

This is Barbie's fourth leap into the entertainment spotlight. Her previous three movies include Barbie in the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie of Swan Lake.