Reem Alabdulkarim

There’s a saying in Arabic that goes, “خيرة” – that is to say, things happen in the highest good, even when we can’t see it. The story of Reem Alabdulkarim, a Saudi-based storyboard artist and animator, breathes life into these words. In retrospect, her story is one that captures the elegance of trusting the process and absorbing all a moment has to offer.

 You know those “aha” moments? The ones where the lightbulb in your brain flicks on? Where a sudden flash of insight strikes you? Reem had a pivotal one as a child. It came to her as she watched cartoons. “Oh,” Reem recalls thinking, “this is someone’s job. Someone’s actually drawing this. I want to do that!” And so, it was solidified: Reem’s dreams of becoming an animator were born. 

Reem started chasing this dream as early as high school. In 2019, she traveled to the United States to participate in the Rhode Island School of Design college prep program, which fueled her desire to explore the world around her. She began to set forth a plan to further her animation education abroad. But then, COVID struck. You remember, the lock downs, the fear, the unanswered questions. Reem graduated from high school during the pandemic. The possibility of pursuing higher education in another country had vanished, and “I wasn’t sure where I was headed.” Her future, for a moment, seemed to be at a standstill.

Cue خيرة. Life has a funny way of uprooting our plans to reroute us – not to throw us off course, but to actually keep us on the path we didn’t know we needed to be on. It was in the silence of the unknown that Reem discovered the brand-new animation program at Princess Nourah University, where she went on to receive her BFA in Film and Animation. “This opportunity just appeared. I got to study exactly what I wanted at PNU,” Reem says. 

Her time at the university gave Reem the platform she needed to blossom professionally. She even had the opportunity to live out her study-abroad dreams. In 2022, she traveled to France to participate in a program hosted by Gobelins Paris. Her takeaways were profound. Reem recalls learning that “there are two types of people in animation: someone who focuses on telling the story and neglects the mechanics and the anatomy [of a film] and [someone] who focuses on the mechanics and the anatomy but forgets about the story.” Simple words perhaps, but they changed Reem’s entire perspective on the animation process. As a student, it was transformative moments like this that turned Reem into an artist that pushes boundaries. Her well-rounded understanding of animation gives her a unique “ability to create something out of nothing, but at the same time, have it resonate,” Reem says.

Part of what makes her art so relatable is where she draws inspiration from: “I [look] at mundane objects in everyday life and try to reimagine what [they] could be,” or she observes how “someone on the street [is] walking, or the way they carry themselves.” She’s a master at letting life’s little moments guide her work. In all her projects, Reem employs a clear vision, varying animation styles, and strategically curated color palettes to drive powerful moods. She stands firm in the notion that, when it comes to animation, “you aren’t limited by anything. As long as I can draw it, as long as I can put pen to paper, I can make it happen,” Reem says. 

Upon graduation, Reem found herself with two options: pursue a career in graphic design, where the odds of her gaining quick traction were high, or jump headfirst into the world of animation, embarking on a freelancing journey. The risk of the second option: “You don’t always know when the next opportunity is going to come. When you’re done with one project, is there going to be another one?” Reem explains. Trusting that life would take her where she needed to go, Reem started freelancing full-time. And, once again, she’s landed right where she’s meant to be. 

Reem has been honored as a finalist for the Sunflower Seed Foundation’s LA26 Animation Intensive, garnering respect from halfway across the world. She has recently finished an animation residency at the Cartoon Mill. What’s more, she’s currently focusing specifically on projects that intersect her local culture with elements of fantasy. Each experience is leading to her ultimate goal of directing her first animated film. Reem, with her curious nature, alongside her unwavering work ethic, is drawing a bright future for herself.  

Written by Sydney Leclerc