Violence unto abstraction. There’s no context or objective: mayhem is all. Considered thusly, this film, this series even, becomes a formalist study in theme and variations. Pretty virtuosic, too. The Yankee Doodle Mouse is very cinematic, with great shots and gags all over the place. Diabelli-calibre (Beethoven), in fact. The grater! That brassiere is surprisingly detailed. The US flag at the end is pretty gratuitous. “Was this made during the war?” asks one of our children, wearily.