Borsu Highson —
Background & Journey

The people, places, and experiences behind the work

Borsu Highson’s creative journey has been shaped by opportunities to learn from artists whose work inspired him.

Among these experiences was the honor of meeting Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney’s legendary “Nine Old Men,” on several occasions. Their conversations and guidance offered a personal connection to the craft of character animation and the people who helped define it.

Name & Heritage

The story behind his name connects several strands of his family history. Borsu associates the name Borsu with Bois-et-Borsu, a village in the Belgian province of Liège. Highson belongs to another strand of his family’s history, connected in his account with the British Isles and New York.

These connections form part of his personal understanding of his background. The history of a place or surname and the documented history of an individual family are distinct; the account presented here reflects the family history Borsu has pieced together.

Early Life & Academic Influences

Borsu was born on January 16, 1980, in Tehran, into a German-speaking family with academic and cultural ties to Germany.

His father, Professor Dr. Fary Rafipoor, was a social scientist whose academic career included Universität Hohenheim in Stuttgart and research into the relationship between human needs, society, and development.

Growing up around academic inquiry influenced Borsu’s interest in how people think and respond to the world. Those questions would later become part of his work in storytelling, audience engagement, and creative leadership.

Learning from Animation’s Masters

Borsu’s early professional animation work included White Shark Entertainment between 1997 and 1999, where he first animated Mickey Mouse using historical character model sheets.

His determination to understand the craft led him to learn from Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Both were members of Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” the influential group of animators whose work helped establish the studio’s approach to character performance.

Borsu recalls reviewing his work with them, listening to their experiences, and returning for further visits. Their example helped shape his belief that convincing animation begins with observation, emotion, and character.

Another important encounter was with Richard Williams, the Academy Award-winning animation director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Overwhelmed by meeting an artist he admired, Borsu remembers telling him, “You are God.”

Williams shared working notes and teaching material with him during the period preceding the publication of The Animator’s Survival Kit. For Borsu, these encounters connected the films he admired with the discipline and experimentation behind them.

Animation, Production & Earlier Studios

During the following years, Borsu’s work extended into character animation, voice performance, promotional narration, and live performance.

His recollections of this period include animation work for Disney attractions and narrating promotional trailers for the Crystal Clear Editions.

His production career also included work with Shamrock Entertainment and the development of Borsu Film Studios Hollywood, established in November 2006. These earlier activities brought together artists and collaborators across several countries around a shared interest in traditional character animation.

From 2013 to 2015, Borsu served as President and Executive Producer of René Borg Productions, working with French animation director René Borg on the development of Paris Feature Animation.

These earlier ventures form part of his professional history. They are separate from the present-day Borsu Highson Productions, established in Germany in 2025.

The Mad King: A Film Under Pressure

Borsu’s move into independent feature filmmaking brought together many of the disciplines he had practiced separately.

Following his arrival in Germany in 2022 and his subsequent work with Film Studio Lüneburg, he developed The Mad King: a satirical story about a monarch who refuses to confront an environmental crisis.

The idea took shape on a flight back from the Cannes Film Festival. Filming would take place at Schwerin Castle in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

One week before shooting, the lead actor withdrew. Borsu stepped into the title role while continuing his work as director, producer, and cinematographer.

The production became a demanding exercise in independent filmmaking: sustaining a performance in front of the camera while carrying responsibility for the work behind it.

Completed in less than a year, The Mad King received international festival recognition, including Best Producer at the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival and an Honorable Mention at the 2024 Hollywood Independent Film Awards. The film subsequently secured distribution through Summer Hill Entertainment, with its international release following in 2025.

Education & Creative Leadership

Alongside his practical work, Borsu completed an MBA in Leadership of Innovation and Change at York St. John University in 2020.

His research interests included emotional intelligence in creative leadership, organizational culture, and audience engagement in filmmaking. He also examined the working methods associated with Walt Disney’s studio during its formative decades.

These interests continue to inform his approach to production: connecting creative ambition with the planning, communication, and working environment needed to carry a project through.

Borsu Highson Productions Today

Established in July 2025, Borsu Highson Productions is based in Bleckede, near Hamburg.

The company brings together film production, character animation, post-production, creative consulting, film scanning and restoration, and education. Its original projects include Little Peterman, a family adventure combining live action with hand-drawn animation, alongside other feature and documentary projects.

Through the Borsu Highson Film Productions YouTube channel, Borsu also shares educational films, documentaries, and restoration presentations exploring the craft and history of moving images.

The connection between these activities is storytelling: creating new work while passing on knowledge and preserving access to work from earlier generations.

Life in Bleckede

Borsu lives in Bleckede with his wife Niki, their son Liam, and their two Huskies, Oscar and Valentino.

An ambition he recalls Roy Disney expressing remains important to him: “You should be Walt Disney, not a Walt Disney employee.”

For Borsu, that advice is an encouragement to develop original characters and stories, build opportunities for collaboration, and carry the craft forward.