The problem is that the animation is completely disconnected from what's actually happening in the interface. Since the animation is happening at the same time

The problem is that the animation is completely disconnected from what's actually happening in the interface. Since the animation is happening at the same time as whatever action is caused by the button, it needs to be considered as part of that action. All of these animations (including the "boring" lack of animation) will distract you from the point of that action, which is (presumably) to bring up some kind of sheet or menu. A cross-fade is almost certainly the best animation to use here. The progress of the cross-fade can follow the motion of the sheet or menu, reinforcing the connection between the button and the action, but without being overly distracting. The focus should be on the content of the sheet or menu, not the button itself.