Saw this in York, although nearly turned back after the car 3 in front of me spun off the road due to the snow. Parked in the centre of town, as I worried about the car being snowbound when I got out.
I agree that these characters were different, but not sure that I would call them 'grotesque' or 'repulsive' - in fact, I thought they were more true to life than in most films, just as the Paris environments showed a more realistic view of a big city.
But beyond this - it was fun and fantasy. It had a good story, and the characters were original and humorous. Visually it was interesting, and it had been plotted so that most things hung together. The actors were brilliant, and there was so much energy about this. I loved the political jokes too - about the president and his wife.
BTW - "As Jeunet explains it, "Micmacs" owes much to the Disney cartoon "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/fil ... 3488.story
BTW - York was fairly full, and PeteYork and Allsinging were there too. We all enjoyed it - Pete especially!