Move over Chipmunks - the Chipettes are here!

Call it Battle of the Bands: Chipmunks vs. Chipettes.

Alvin, Simon and Theodore are back, and this time they're facing off against their furry female counterparts: Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette, otherwise known as the Chipettes.

Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler and Anna Faris will put the boys to the test as the voices of the singing sisters in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, out Dec. 23.

"The Chipmunks were a big part of my life as a kid," says Applegate, who voices bandleader Brittany. "We all watched the cartoon and really enjoyed the movie."

Faris, who voices Jeanette, "definitely the sweetest Chipette," also has been a fan since childhood. "I was crazy about them," she says. "It was always on when I came home from school. And now my mom's like, 'I love the Chipmunks.' I think my parents are so grateful that I'm doing some family movies."

Poehler steps in as the lovable Eleanor and says she signed on for "the chance to voice an iconic character." She adds that she's looking forward to a time when her 1-year-old son, Archie, can enjoy the movie.

The Chipettes, who first appeared in the classic cartoon series in 1983, are getting the same computer-generated treatment that the Chipmunks received in the 2007 live-action film. "A lot of people were asking for the Chipettes," says producer Ross Bagdasarian. His father, Ross Bagdasarian Sr., created Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1958. After his death in 1972, his son was the voice of Alvin before actor Justin Long took over for the film versions.

"It's always a challenge to try to adapt a cartoon feel and put it into a live-action world," says producer Janice Karman, who created the original Chipettes and is married to Bagdasarian.

The couple describe themselves as "fiercely protective" guardians of the original characters. "Our kids were showing us the blogs before the first movie came out, and people were really frightened about what was going to happen. We maintained the feeling and the features ... you would know by looking at them which ones they are."

Says Bagdasarian: "When Janice designed them for the movie, you really got the best of both worlds. The essence of the Chipettes from the '80s and '90s are absolutely still there."

Getting that perfectly high-pitched Chipmunk voice isn't as easy as it seems. "You have to talk a little slower when you record so it doesn't sound crazy when it was sped up," Poehler says. "I'm a fast-talking New Yorker, so I had to think like a Californian while I was recording."

Says Applegate: "I had no idea how it worked. I really thought you went in and did it in your voice and then they sped it up, but you have to do it slow and higher than your normal voice. It must look ridiculous when you're watching the person recording the voice-over."

Though their characters are singing sensations, the actresses most likely won't perform the actual singing. "I volunteered my services, but turns out they might want a professional," Faris says. "I have a bit of a reputation of being a pretty horrible singer."

Poehler is up for the challenge as well: "I am prepared to belt it out Chipmunk style anytime they ask."