I'm not sure I follow your point, and I don't think that your argument is "There should be more factual/informational attractions and films", but I'll explain my position as though I'm trying to argue why edutainment doesn't fly anymore.
The next generation is exposed to more overload than the previous generation. Just because the concept of "it's worse now than it was then" has been around for centuries doesn't mean it's not increasingly true. It is true: We're exposed to more news, violence, crime, gore, tragedy, sex, information than we've ever been. This isn't "I had to walk to school through 10 feet of snow uphill both ways!!!!" kind of hyperbole. There is a legitimacy to the idea that as a culture we have so much information coming at us at such a rate that we don't want any of it when we're on vacation or watching TV or movies. We seek "mindless" fun and diversions.
Information is crammed down our throats, via technology and media (and school), more than ever before, and I therefore argue there's an even greater need to escape that constant stream of brain-numbing data. Even if that information is whimsically presented, it can be hard to stomach it as an escape from the real world. I'm a huge fan of Epcot, Worlds Fairs, and the kind of "fun" history that attractions like American Adventure, Spaceship Earth, Carousel of Progress, and World of Motion (RIP) provide. I like Living with the Land, I like attractions that are slow paced, long, and informational (even if that information is whimsical and of dubious accuracy). But I'm not the majority. The majority wants Harry Potter and fantasy and excitement and fancy ride systems that are an escape from facts and reality. There's a reason that certain attractions have long lines, while others (like the aforementioned ones in this paragraph) have/had short ones. Thought-provoking attractions often receive the critical praise and often have a cult following, but they rarely have mass appeal in 2015. Sure there are some unique kids and nostalgic adults out there that would adore World of Motion today. But not enough.
There's a reason why Horizons and World of Motion are dead while Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion survive, and it has nothing to do with Disney's executive decisions. And it's not because Horizons and WoM were that fundamentally different an experience than HM or PotC. It's because HM and PotC lack any shred of reality. They're complete and total escapism. They don't educate, they don't elucidate the human condition, they don't inform, they don't predict, they don't preach, they don't analyze, they don't reflect. They throw you into a wild, fantastic scenario, and allow you to experience the ridiculous fantasy first hand, without so much as a slight nod to the real science, facts, or history behind piracy or death.
It's hard to sell educational entertainment. Edutainment is increasingly prevalent in school, television, and computers and video games. It's therefore harder to sneak educational value into a Disney theme park attraction without kids (and adults) instantly picking up on that, and wondering why they have to "learn stuff" when they're in a theme park. In today's world, most people won't pay for that, most people won't wait in line for that. I might, you might, others might, but again, not nearly enough to keep a business running.
