RIYADH: Many people dream of making their dreams come true – and animation director Mahmoud Zaini is doing just that, creating his fantasy world inspired by childhood movies and his admiration for Saudi Arabian culture.
As a child, his appreciation of cartoons and comic strips was fostered by newspapers, Japanese anime series, and movies like “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story” and “Monsters, Inc.”
In an interview with Arab News, he recalled: “Every Saudi newspaper had a comic on the last page that had some kind of social message. In 2011, these comics became the famous Saudi YouTube animation series “Masameer”.
As Saudis, we grew up watching foreign cartoons dubbed into Arabic. These shows were mainly Japanese with mixed moral messages and cultural themes. “Animation should be localized to tell stories for the younger generations that inspire them to become better human beings with a unique Saudi identity.”
Zini also watched Pixar's behind-the-scenes clips from its films and learned as much as he could about the art of animation. By the age of 10, he was making his own short animations.
“Since I was a child, I always wanted to bring my own stories to life,” he said.
Zini believes that the important thing about animation is that it is universal and can appeal to both adults and children.
Also, due to the nature of its abstract style, it can relate to other cultures and peoples from around the world. It is a preferred device for children as it stimulates their senses and expands their imagination.
After receiving his BA in Fine Arts and Animation from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, USA, Zini began his career in the Kingdom in 2017, making commercials. In 2018, he launched Zaini Studio, which has grown thanks to a lot of investment and effort.
From 2021 to date, Zini Studio created two Red Sea Film Festival introductions and two Saudi Film Festival introductions, featuring local and international talent.
“The breakthrough moment in my career as an animation director was when I worked on the introduction to the 2021 Red Sea Film Festival,” he told Arab News. I had to – with the help of Faris Gudos and Sohaib Gudos – come up with the idea of having a high-quality advertising animation at the Red Sea Film Festival.
Once the idea was accepted, Zaini contacted artists from around the region to work on the project, including Raghad Baydas, Hossam Hamed, Riyad Al-Dosri, Youssef Al-Baghshi, and Ahmad Shawli for the music.
These artists are the best in their fields and with their dedication we produced this festival from scratch in three months. The introduction should convey an emotion related to your artistic inspiration and following your passion.
Zaini's work reflects his experiences growing up in the Kingdom, and he takes pride in creating animations that celebrate the culture, heritage and lifestyle of Saudi Arabia.
“I like to reflect all these authentic Saudi details in my stories and in the environments that the characters I create,” he said. I hate to see Saudi artists creating characters in foreign environments copied from famous Japanese or American anime.
He added that art should reflect something authentic to be unique, which can only happen when it includes your stories and memories.
He told Arab News: “This does not mean that you always include a Saudi symbol like the palm tree in your work, but you should always use what resonates with you and your experiences without copying what is in Others resonate, reflect.
“I like my stories to reflect something real in me. I had a very happy and positive upbringing. “With many uncles, aunts and uncles with whom I shared many wonderful stories.”
Zini advises animators to cultivate a genuine passion for the craft and “the feelings it gives you as you long for the end result.”
He said: If this flame stays lit with constant exercise and commitment to improvement, it will eventually bear beautiful fruits.
He added that it is very important for an animator to have the stories they want to tell and stressed the importance of new ideas and stories.
Animation is not only about moving lines and shapes, but also about imitating life, giving personality to characters and building new worlds. As an aspiring animator you must love life and have a true thirst for originality to nurture your artistic sense.
