Tico is a Big Eater and regularly telling others it's eating time even though he's the smallest character of the series. Actually, the reason for this is because he's the smallest character; his digestive tract is shorter than with the normal-sized characters.
Plus he is a rodent, which as a species need to eat regularly.
Tico's small size also explains why he's the only member of the party to be adversely affected by the cold during the journey (by ice boat) across the frozen Great Lakes. His body would have a greater surface area for its size compared to that of the larger characters, so he'd lose heat faster.
Though Willy Fog is overall a more stand-up character than his book counterpart, he has one questionable moment at Medicine Bow's sabotaged bridge. Determined not to be delayed any further after the buffalo stampede cost him six hours, he decides to rush the train over the bridge despite the objections of Mr. Bullman, the president of the Union Pacific Railroad. All the passengers survive, but the bridge and the dining car are destroyed, which Mr. Bullman is right to be angry about, yet he's the only one who gripes to Fog about this dangerous escapade. However, with the bridge destroyed, the rail traffic between the west and east of the United States will suffer delays until the bridge is repaired, and all because one Englishman is in a hurry to travel around the world in exactly eighty days! Losing his bet would cost Fog only his reputation and money, but how many people will have their plans delayed because of him? It's mentioned that it will take "at least a month or two" for the bridge to be repaired.
