Its plot centers on the furry outsider Cheburashka arriving from a Spanish orange grove, befriending the lonely gardener Gena, reconciling Gena with his estranged daughter and mute grandson, and emphasizing themes of friendship, family bonds, kindness, and overcoming loneliness through simple acts of help and listening. These are traditional storytelling elements with no activist framing, identity politics, or critiques of norms.

The production remains a faithful adaptation of the original Soviet characters and premise, introducing no race, gender, or sexuality changes to established figures and keeping core themes limited to classic friendship, family reconciliation, and personal growth without any systemic oppression narratives or DEI elements. No creator statements or plot points promote contemporary social justice messaging. Instead, the film drew heavy conservative backlash in Russia that framed it as insufficiently nationalist or corrupting, underscoring the absence of progressive ideological content rather than any embrace of it. This reception pattern confirms the project's focus on conventional family entertainment values over any modern political agenda.