I would stay away from speeding the surface shots up - miniature photography sped up tends to look LESS convincing, not more. I also would be surprised if distorting the frame will work, I think it's more likely that what you'll get is something that looks like it's had a fake perspective imposed on it. You might try faking a depth of field effect on the footage though. I think the big problem with it as it exists in the film is that it's mostly in sharp focus - it's obvious that it's all very close to the camera. Soften the focus a little as you move deeper into the BG on that footage, and I think you might improve it.