New characters like Daisy (voiced by Tiffany Haddish) and Rooster (Harrison Ford) add voice diversity without altering established roles or injecting identity politics. Subplots emphasize resourcefulness and adventure in line with classic storytelling, not systemic oppression or gender critiques.

A progressive critic explicitly complained about the absence of same-sex pet couples and the praise for marriage and masculinity, underscoring the lack of activist framing. Voice casting changes (e.g., Patton Oswalt replacing Louis C.K.) stem from external scandals, not DEI mandates. As a children's film, the absence of any ideological lectures, pronoun usage, or critiques of traditional norms keeps progressive influence minimal and incidental at most.