Actually, the theming was there before Cedar Fair, and has been whittled away with concrete since CF took over. I went back in the 70's and KBF was quite comparable to Disney land. What they have now is several oversize rides that take the place of many other rides that were there before. The place is much, much smaller than Geauga lake, yet "foot print" doesn't seem to matter in this case. (Would you pay $5.00 to ride sky hawk? You will at Knott's)
Don't get me wrong, it's a GREAT park, however, it seems that asphalt and concrete are cheaper than landscaping at Knott's. The only grass that I remember seeing was around Big Foot Rapids....anyway, glad you had a great trip.