where the world is live-action and then you have this cartoon character. We wanted Rufus to be part of their world and grounded, even though he is expressive, cute and fun." The visual effects studio Pixomondo was responsible for animating Rufus, a task they found challenging because, according to director Zach Lipovsky, the animals "are pretty disgusting creatures", finding it "hilarious to have one of the grossest animals be the [show and film's] comedic relief." Because the computer-animated character needed to be more realistic than his cuter, stylized traditionally animated counterpart, the Pixomondo artists worked for several months to determine a suitable "balance between cute and real". The character's origins and his relationship with Ron are altered for the film, in which Ron discovers Rufus in a science lab. Giambrone explained, "Ron knew that that [Rufus] was like a missing part of him ... Then we get to see how they help each other out for the rest of the movie". The actors did not see Rufus's final design until the character's visual effects were completely rendered, instead looking at either Giambrone's shoulder or a figurine that they found hardly resembled Rufus while filming. Giambrone was pleased with the character's design upon seeing it for the first time, expounding, "I knew that was exactly what he should look like and it just felt like I was reunited with a buddy, seeing the movie with Rufus in it.” Reception and impact The New York Times television critic Julie Salamon wrote "the cheerful presence of Rufus ... signals that ... executive producer and director, Chris Bailey, doesn't mind getting cute in obvious ways." USA Today's Alex Kane cited Rufus among the show's "charming cast" of memorable characters, while the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Rob Owen identified him as its breakout character. Rufus is considered by reviewers to be one of the show's most popular characters and components, establishing himself as a fan favorite. McCorkle believes Rufus is the series' most popular character among younger viewers, an observation with which Judith S. Gillies of The Washington Post agreed. Dylan Kickham of Elite Daily named Rufus both "iconic" and "Everyone's favorite naked mole-rat". Similarly, the Rockford Register Star called Rufus "our favorite naked mole-rat". Andy Swift of TVLine deemed Rufus an "iconic" character. Furthermore, Kickham believes Rufus' role in the series is "the reason why so many young adults have actually heard of naked mole-rats." Cartwright's