Being a Friday afternoon, I just had to see if an animated gif could be read from -data. :-) It can, and makes a nice indicator.

#!/usr/bin/perl
use warnings;
use strict;
use Tk;
use Tk::Animation;

my $scr = new MainWindow;
   $scr->configure(-background=>"black");
   $scr->geometry("200x100");

   my $canvas = $scr->Canvas(-width,200,-height,100,
      -background=> "black")->pack(-expand, 1, -fill, 'both');

   my $image  = $scr->Animation('-format' => 'gif', -data => get_gif()
+ );

   $canvas->createImage( 50,50, -image=> $image);
               $image->blank($image,1);

  $image->start_animation(40);

MainLoop;

sub get_gif{
#base64encoded gif89a 
my $gif =
'R0lGODlhEAAQAPEEAAAAAP8AAP//AP///yH/C05FVFNDQVBFMi4wAwEAAAAh+QQFCgAEA
+CwAAAAA 
EAAQAAADPki63B4wOhWrZFYEfWm2SwCMZDkGiglsajqU2viOablBJkVCnHhSGoFgYBGhgM
+Me7ugR 
KlfM0DPaqKwmWEcCACH5BAUKAAQALAEAAAAPAA8AAAM8SKrR+ysA0CokM1cXwcjUxoCZYF
+oNOZ1O 
BQqTGAiVScebMOwnWdsuj6ZB26gYmxQJmZRkIE5j4EKQJB8JACH5BAUKAAQALAEAAQAOAA
+4AAAM3 
SBoMzioy4cYLMojgOsOTQHXAFw4baZ7NtYap9prU1ryezZnqR+wcgKXU+O1IRMwi2ItkPE
+pCAgAh 
+QQFCgAEACwBAAEADwAPAAADO0ga3KyQNEEZCHGKYYFfzhZ4wHBJFyOSJOGFAvs6aszSMI
+nfnrDL 
gMpjRDJdhBjUjRaRMSOuWQOaeVATACH5BAUKAAQALAEAAQAOAA4AAAM2SBoB/Coy9wST7Q
+XB79Tb 
0H2gaFkNQG2TmqqUBc/A4AqzTQMy/e4wEAMFImhOxYUQEiGsNJEEACH5BAUKAAQALAAAAQ
+APAA8A 
AAM8SErRDW2tAB2o8l7Hg9Ja5xDgxgnWNZiB4KIP2ApDDafzjTKpIEcOV8nEyw0hig5o5Z
+lwSpLk 
Exl1RiQJACH5BAUKAAQALAEAAQAOAA4AAAM4SBoBzkFJ5ipgk9qGrx4PB2khBQlNCXmBAK
+BjjF5C 
HY8VM9jxJuywlaUGIwhzxUUK9MJIjCmWJAEAIfkEBQoABAAsAAAAAA8ADwAAAz1IutGxUL
+kGaiQz 
1A2z3sCDNYLwDeDjlODmCdUXZ1vpOa3ttYBOAQReYGCiqACoGDGjSA19nVCgVBR1bosEAD
+s=';
return $gif;
}
[download]