But it is more like a confused soap opera, overcrowded with characters and suffering from the constant desire to prove itself au fait with its cool surroundings.

ECONOMIST: Failure of imagination

Sao Paulo's municipal soap opera badly needs some fresh characters, and a happy ending.

ECONOMIST: Brazil

But it was around the double-disc Southern Rock Opera (2001) that the Truckers began to craft stories about unique regional characters and came into their own as stronger songwriters.

NPR: Drive-By Truckers: Southern Rock Meets Soul

These days, with Hollywood churning out big budget movies based on comic book characters such as Iron Man, the Silver Surfer and the Incredible Hulk, a comics-based opera about a cute little fox may sound a bit tame.

NPR: Quirk of Nature: Janacek's 'Cunning Little Vixen'