I love how the only example you provided was one of two things I said not to use. Yep, zooming in on something backstage with a DSLR from across the lagoon = totally the same as placing it front and center in the main plaza of your park and not theming all of it. Even if the Soarin' building WAS IN the guest areas, you can bet that Disney would theme every part of it that faces the park areas, not just the part closest to the attraction entrance so it looks good for Instagram photos. You know, like they did for Soarin' in DCA.
It is very rare to get a glance at any backstage area at Disney that you aren't supposed to see. Even at every service access gate, they have taken steps to ensure that if you walk all the way to the gate, everything is still themed to that point. Now look at Universal's access gates, if you walk up to them, like the one next to Mummy, you see backstage, you see everything you're not supposed to see. Even at the entrance gates of IOA, look to the left of the lighthouse - there's a service access gate with a clear view of a security booth. If you walk closer to it, you see everything you shouldn't sere. Right at the entrance. Universal is filled with instances like this because, excluding Diagon, everything only looks "good enough" but is not totally immersive. They do not take sightlines into consideration.
Again, I fully support praising Universal for their strengths... but immersion is not one of their strengths unless JK Rolling is calling the shots. Focus on their strengths instead of insinuating that everything they do is somehow better than what Disney does.
This forum makes people SO jaded against WDW that they'll scream at it for minor flaws but gloss over major, glaring flaws elsewhere. I was the same way until I stepped away from this forum and the parks for about a year.
