Maria Tomazou Animates a Film Entirely Inside Microsoft Excel

Rows, cells, text fragments, and basic geometric forms become a miniature animation studio in Maria Tomazou's I made a film in Excel. The 75-second short was built inside Microsoft Excel, turning a program associated with budgets and formulas into a frame-by-frame image-making tool.

The order of production matters. Rich Farris created the original soundtrack first, and Tomazou used its rhythm and texture to inspire the visuals. Only after the animation was complete did she add the narration. The result feels less like a software demonstration than a densely packed audiovisual collage: characters stretch across rows, flowers repeat like formulas, and the spreadsheet grid becomes both stage and editing timeline.

The wrong tool becomes the style

Excel's restrictions give the film its visual language. Repeated cells encourage patterns and loops, while the hard edges of the grid make every transformation feel mechanical and handmade at once. Tomazou does not disguise the interface; row numbers, cell boundaries, and scraps of typed text remain visible, making the process part of the finished image.

The experiment fits Tomazou's broader practice as an animation director interested in emotional storytelling and unconventional materials. Her earlier films include Perfect Circle, Jellyfish Tango, and the award-winning The Tornado Outside.

Watch I made a film in Excel on Vimeo. Explore more work on Maria Tomazou's website and Vimeo profile.

Featured image: video still courtesy of Maria Tomazou via Vimeo.