I agree wholeheartedly, although one suggestion on the save button: the third attempt should reach out and slap the user and say "I said... couldn't save, motha$#$%*!"

I've been affected by over-animation-mania in the past and it's not fun. I've seen apps so bad that I'm literally screaming at the animations to hurry up so I can start typing.

It's ok to put a little flashiness in your app, but animations should be reserved for getting a users attention or emphasizing an area of the app. For example, a hidden sidebar with an expand tab. I would do a slide animation to reveal the sidebar to indicate to the user that it's natural parking place is off the screen to the right, rather than just making the sidebar abruptly pop out of nowhere. But for God's sake I'm not going to do a bounce animation with a duration of 3 seconds... maybe a little ease-out. :-P

Bottom line: animations should be used to increase, rather than detract from the user's perceived performance of the app.