More information:  
   This issue appears when using the Marker.setIcon(icon:string) API method.  The GIF animates properly when instancing a MarkerImage and using  Marker.setIcon(icon:MarkerImage) API method.

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that's so strange and funny...i used ie6 with the api version 3.4.0a. the gif only flashed once and then paused at the first frame. but other browsers were just ok. and i searched the solution, it is said that when using animation gif in ie(6), you must avoid the onclick event on <a/>, or add "return false" at last line, or give a size to the gif, even set no border to gif... i didn't know which google maps' elements used <a/>, and i tried the "return false" on each event, it didnt' work at all. untill the api update, magically, gif animated in ie6 and other version. but it transformersly became a tortoise in firefox and chrome, once you changed the zoom, it just animated one frame.

i've been starring this issue, i'm looking for the update soon. or else, my boss would ask me to debug the maps script, how could i be able to do that... please kill the bug soon. or please just give a example to show how to use gif background to makers as this one: http://multimarker.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/fast-marker-overlay/maps-v3/example/mutation-events.html (p.s. sadly, this example dosen't wrok in firefox at all...), this might be a good solution at once. thanks a lot! :)

p.s. if it's possible, please ask the guys to upated chinese api version to the near latest one, the current one is about to be one year old...

sorry, there's another bug i forgot to point out. in ie, once changing the zoom, the maker will disappear on the map. and trying to change the marker positon, there would be 2 same markers on the map. after refreshing, it become one. there is no such a problem in version 3.4.0a...

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'optimized' option now added to MarkerOptions.

Specify optimized:false to bypass rendering of a Marker with Canvas - this adds support for animated gifs.