I mostly concur with you. I enjoy aspects. The set design, lighting, music, and AAs are sublime. The screens do feel off to me, even if well-integrated into the set.
I always had felt a bit iffy when all the backstory started coming out, and bits of story, but I had hoped it all tied together nicely. For me the story really does lack, and it feels as if the queue and the ride has two different teams in charge.
It just all feels very… corporate, ride by numbers. It needs a bit more whimsy, in fact it may just need a bit less story.