Yeah, I hope this happens. Practical sets and putting as much as you can into the actual shot is the way to go. The best example of a great use of this in a fantastical setting is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Miniature work was used instead of just going full CGI for Mordor or Gondor or any of the other sets, and it really heightens the realism. In our modern era filmmakers get to comfortable with leaning on CGI to get the story across, and it just pulls the viewer out of the experience.
I'd much rather see a filmmaker go in with the old school handbook and get it done with as much realism as possible. I love watching the behind the scenes documentaries about films like Aliens, where they actually used painted backdrops, force perspective shots with set extensions mounted on the camera itself to make you think there was more in the shot than was... it's brilliant stuff. And most of it is seamless. You would never know it was there. THAT is how you do solid FX. Hollywood seems to have lost that creativity.