For decades, Saudi Arabia’s anime market has largely relied on imported Japanese content, often dubbed for local audiences. However, a significant shift is underway as the Kingdom seeks to develop its own animation industry centered on local culture and storytelling.

At the heart of this transformation is Manga Productions, a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk). The organization is focused on nurturing Saudi creative talent, producing original animation, and collaborating with Japanese studios to build expertise. Rather than replicating traditional Japanese anime styles, Manga Productions aims to create high-quality content that reflects Saudi Arabia’s culture, history, and identity.

Lamees Alsantely, a producer at Manga, highlights the growing appetite among Saudi viewers for stories that represent their own experiences. “Saudi Arabia already has a strong audience for anime and animation, but much of what we consume reflects other cultures and perspectives,” she said. “I think this is the right time to move from being consumers of that content to creating stories that represent our own culture and experiences.”

Addressing a limited pool of local expertise and quality productions, Manga has invested heavily in training and international partnerships. This includes sending Saudi creatives to Japan for internships and collaborating closely with established Japanese production teams. Alsantely noted that working alongside Japanese studios provides valuable insights into mature production workflows, standards, and approaches, while also helping Manga identify which methods can be adapted to the Saudi context.

One notable example of this approach is “The Journey,” an animated feature co-developed with Japan’s Toei Animation. According to Manga CEO Essam Bukhary, the project was “made in Saudi with Japan,” emphasizing knowledge transfer rather than mere outsourcing. Saudi teams were heavily involved in reviewing the film, submitting over 1,300 retakes, and contributing to character and background design. The Kaaba’s design, for instance, was completed entirely by Saudi artists.

This collaborative model is evolving. For the second season of “Future Folktales,” a series that follows a Saudi family in a futuristic Riyadh and later Neom, several episodes are directed by Saudis, with Manga increasingly taking lead roles in pre-production and production stages. The goal is to gradually localize more of the industry and build greater domestic capacity.

Still, challenges remain. Alsantely points to the animation industry’s youth in Saudi Arabia and the need to cultivate a broader base of directors, writers, animators, voice actors, and producers capable of independently developing projects. To date, over 600 people have been trained through Manga’s programs, with more than 80% of its workforce being graduates. The Tokyo office also employs a majority of Saudi staff. Some trainees have moved on to other local creative studios, indicating a growing national talent pipeline.

Manga Productions also collaborates with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture on educational initiatives that have reached over 3 million students, fostering early interest and skills development in animation.

Government support remains critical in sustaining this growth, allowing emerging studios and animators space to innovate without immediate commercial pressures. This backing helps build a sustainable creative sector within the Kingdom.

The fruits of these efforts are gaining recognition at home and abroad. “The Woodcutter’s Treasure” became the first Saudi and Arab anime short to air on seven Japanese TV channels. Meanwhile, “Future Folktales” has attracted more than 100 million views on Chinese platforms such as Tencent. Plans for a “Future Folktales” mobile game and other cross-media projects indicate ambitions to expand Saudi-originated storytelling across multiple formats and international markets.

As Saudi Arabia continues to develop its animation industry, it is blending local narratives with global expertise, aiming to move from being consumers of anime to creators shaping the future of the art form within the Kingdom and beyond.