Aunt Sarah is recast as Yvette Nicole Brown, the dog catcher as Adrian Martinez, and the delivering doctor as Ken Jeong, while Lady receives a voice performance by Tessa Thompson and supporting dogs include Janelle Monáe as Peg and Benedict Wong as Bull. The Siamese cats are replaced entirely by Devon and Rex, with their song rewritten by Nate Wonder, Roman GianArthur, and Monáe specifically to eliminate perceived racist connotations.

Disney explicitly sought people of color for roles ahead of production. These elements create a sanitized, colorblind 1909 New Orleans-adjacent setting that erases historical racial tensions, drawing criticism for prioritizing modern diversity optics over period accuracy. However, the core premise of the pampered Lady and stray Tramp's romance, class differences, and family conflicts remains unchanged and drives the narrative without identity politics as the central conflict or emotional core.