Throwing myself into the comment thread here without reading very far back into it. Lots of "IP" discussion but this thread was initially about the new Zootopia attraction that replaced It's a Bug's Life.
I saw the new attraction on the last day of the AP preview and thought it was "just aiight." I liked the Bug's Life attraction better, but possibly because I'm not a huge Zootopia fan (don't hate it, don't love it).
On the whole IP thing, none of us really knows what Disney is thinking when they come up with a new attraction. These days, it is typically associated with an IP, but Disney has always done this, from day one. Snow White, Peter Pan, Davey Crockett were all examples of early IPs Disney used. It has always merged people's love of Disney's stories with the parks and that is a huge reason for their success. No one has out-Disneyed Disney yet. With my limited knowledge, their closest competitor seems to be Universal, who sort of understands the success formula here. I'd also add that Disney is such a force that even their rides become IPs (POTC, for example). LOL!
In some cases updating a ride based on an IP improves the ride. I'd classify The Incredicoaster at DCA in this way. I loved the original, California Screamin', but even though Incredicoaster is exactly the same ride, all of the Incredibles dressing definitely makes it more fun for me. Another example, even though I was very against it when the change was made, was the total IP switch from Hollywood ToT (also at DCA) to Guardians of the Galaxy, Mission Breakout. I was stunned when they announced the change. I thought Disney, who has more money than God, could have built an original attraction. They also seemed to rush the change to coincide with the release of GOTG, V2 to capitalize on the popularity of THAT IP (which was probably true). The exterior of that ride looks ridiculous. It's ToT dressed up with colorful piping to make it look alien and futuristic, but the structure is unchanged. The indoor queue theming was a home run, and the ride itself? Well, it's better, longer, more interesting than ToT (and I say this as a fan of the original ride who lives in FL now and enjoys it here). The ride has great visuals, multiple "experiences" (think Star Tours 2.0, sort of), and the lifts and drops are completely different (and maybe different depending on which elevator you ride, IDK). In hindsight, I understand why they changed this ride (it's now a part of Avenger's Campus which is finally, hopefully, getting its' due as an IP. Compare it to the Star Wars areas to see what I mean there.).
As for success/failure of an IP associated ride based on the IP's popularity...Tron, I would say, is NOT a blockbuster IP. Disney wanted it to be, but while I love the movies, none of them were commercially successful. I haven't seen the new one yet, but my impression, based on what I've read on social media is that casting Jared Leto may have been a mistake, but I can't really judge the product until I see it for myself. My point about Tron is that despite not being a massively successful franchise, the ride itself is very popular. It's fast, it's short, but it's fun, especially if you're a fan of the second film.