Theming is not necessarily the same thing as having lots of characters around.
Theming and character presence are the closest to being the same thing at the value resorts. At those, Disney basically built motels and then put up some giant props (sometimes Disney-related) as an ostensible theme. That kind of theming doesn't do much for me.
With the moderate and deluxe resorts, there is much more of a comprehensive theme, and those themes have very little to do with the characters. Rather, they have to do with the architecture and decor of the resort.
It is irrefutable that VWL has the most comprehensive theming of any DVC resort, though of course some people don't care for that theme. SSR is at the lighter end of the scale as far as theming. I think many people would say it is the least themed, but it's not too hard to argue for a different resort being the least themed. It would be wrong, however, to say that SSR has no theme at all. There is some attempt toward theming.