And Converting It to Modern JavaScript

On February 1, 1999, I wrote a tiny experiment called ANILEWIE.SCT.

It was a Microsoft Scriptlet — essentially an isolated HTML container running VBScript — and it animated a layered image of my face:

• The eyes randomly moved to predefined coordinates
• The mouth opened and closed
• Everything was positioned with absolute positioning and z-index

No frameworks. No build tools. Just layered GIFs and a timer.

The Original

Back then, Scriptlets were powerful. They ran in a sandbox, but could expose properties and events to communicate safely with a host container — similar to how embedded ActiveX controls behaved.

In the late 90s:

• VBScript was common in government environments
• Internet Explorer was assumed
• Classic ASP defaulted to VBScript
• VBA powered Outlook, Excel, and Access automation

It was a very Microsoft world.

Here’s the original VBScript core:

Sub Window_onLoad
  Randomize Timer
  E.style.left=20
  E.style.top=46
  NewLook
End Sub

Timers. String-based setTimeout. Inline logic. No modules. No separation of concerns.

It worked beautifully for 1999.

Fast Forward 26 Years

While digging through old archives, I found the original .SCT file.

The layering still worked.
The GIFs still existed.
The logic was simple enough to modernize.

So I rewrote it in plain JavaScript — no frameworks, no dependencies — keeping the spirit intact.

The updated version:

• Uses Math.random() instead of Randomize Timer
• Replaces string-based setTimeout with closures
• Uses template literals
• Replaces CInt with parseInt
• Stores eye coordinates in an array
• Uses small functional helpers for clarity

And it runs perfectly inside a simple HTML file — even inside an <iframe>.

VBScript is gone.

But interestingly, Microsoft now dominates with TypeScript, which sits above JavaScript — a poetic twist considering where this started.

The Animation Itself

The trick is simple:

• Face (F.gif) is the base layer
• Eyes (E.gif) are positioned behind using z-index
• Mouth (T.gif) toggles display
• Random coordinates are selected from a predefined list
• A small “nudge” function animates movement toward the target

No canvas.
No WebGL.
Just DOM positioning and timers.

The effect still feels charmingly late-90s.

Why I Love This

This wasn’t just nostalgia.

It was a reminder that:

• Layering and positioning were once “advanced” techniques
• Randomized motion felt magical
• Animation required patience and CPU compromises
• Simplicity ages well

It also reminded me how comfortable I once was in VBScript — and how transferable that thinking was to modern JavaScript.

Same logic.
Different syntax.
Better tools.

See It For Yourself

🔗 Repo:
https://github.com/lewismoten/anilewie-scriptlet

🎬 Demo:
https://lewismoten.github.io/anilewie-scriptlet/

Now you too can enjoy the awesomeness and party like it’s 1999 staring into my eyes.

JavaScript Animation