I agree screens are probably the way to go. Like Star Tours. I've also long thought the Muppets ought to have multiple versions, even if just parts of the show had some variation.
The Living with the Land used to be different each time when the boats had human narrators, the plantings also had more variety. (And there's Jungle Cruise, of course.) You didn't really choose the ride, but riders could ask a few questions about the plants.
I also miss the way WDW bus drivers used to tell jokes and personalize trips. It wasn't every ride, but the drivers would sometimes make conversation- jokes or WDW trivia. Then WD, more or less, forced them to play the dumb audio track instead. A considerable number of bus drivers quit, as I understand it. The small shuttle boat captains still get to talk to passengers a little. At Universal, the shuttle boat captains get to tell jokes and talk to passengers, which makes each trip unique. It feels a little more like an attraction and less of a commute, IMO.