I don't think the issue is the tools. I think the issue is that the industry previously was mostly marxists and the industry today is not.
The marxists were in-touch with humans and their connection with the world. The world was used as a character, and humans were grounded within it at all times. The world tells a story.
The modern artists aren't doing this. World is often an afterthought, not really used for storytelling. The world isn't used as its own character.
When it is... It works. Houseki no Kuni or any of Trigger's works still manage to do this when they use digital.