To be fair, a lot of the backstage of Tokyo
Disneyland is visible due to the uniqueness of the monorail being a part of transit system. What's in the berm is heavily themed even if they slightly under-themed the more affordable tower exterior.
Nothing is going to compare to Hotel Miracosta, whose history goes all the way back to the Westcot project.
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Explorer's Lodge is a great example though. Aulani is nothing but towers and even Animal Kingdom Lodge, so it's not like there aren't other examples of modern towers that are heavily themed.
Ultimately, I don't think Island Tower is bad. People are going to love it, but I just think they could have done better given the proper budget and support.
Some of the legacy Imagineers are commenting on this subject.
Regarding Island Tower's theming,
Their card is likely going to be the
point chart for the larger units.