“Themes” in theme parks are imaginary constructs that gives fans both a sense of comfort and superiority. They have prettier buildings than my local park, so that means they’re better. And there’s some semblance of consistency in those facades, which means the design teams “care more” than the designers at my local park.
Fact of the matter is, theme parks don’t actually have thesis statements they have to adhere to. Fans *want* them to adhere, but there has never been a strict code. Disneyland and Magic Kingdom don’t actually have any consistent theme. A European castle at the end of a 1940s, small town America street, flanked by an amalgamation of South American and African jungles with a ride set in the Caribbean, and a Jules Verne-inspired space port. And that’s the standard!
We can talk about Universal’s “Ride the movies,” but how did Nickelodeon, Murder, She Wrote and Wild West Stunt Show fit into that specific “theme?” The “theme” isn’t “ride the movies” then, it’s media production? But the focus of Kong and Jaws wasn’t “production?“ So, the “theme” is visual media? Well, in that case, the “theme” has never changed.
People need to stop trying to pigeonhole theme parks with some imaginary limitations of their development that never actually existed in the first place. Because the parks (management, designers, et al) don’t actually care. Any appearances that imply they do care is just PR.