As a Django enthusiast and python programmer, I often want less magic from Django, not more. This makes pyramid or flask seem tempting to me. If I wanted Rails that badly, I would simply port my code to Ruby.
Django is supposed to be the “Rails” of Python, allowing programmers who want a Rails-like experience to continue using Python instead of switching languages completely.
If you don’t want “magic” then your solution is right - just use Flask.
The thing with the "magic" of django is that you don't need to use it! It's up to you whether you want to use the magic or not! The magic is powerful. The thing that turns users away is learning the magic.
Django's supposedly independent components were built with the context of the rest of Django in mind and have all kinds of default behaviors based on that. Surely they may work without the rest, but it isn't nearly as smooth as working with independent libraries that were designed with a much more limited scope.
> Django is supposed to be the “Rails” of Python, allowing programmers who want a Rails-like experience to continue using Python instead of switching languages completely.
A small nitpick: While Django may indeed fill that role, it's actually older than Rails, so wasn't "supposed" to do that. Both projects have been created independently of each other.
