Since you've added GTK to your question, example and documentation can be found at the PyGTK 2.0 Tutorial on the Chapter 9. Miscellaneous Widgets.

A code sample using .gif for buttons:

#!/usr/bin/env python



# example images.py



import pygtk

pygtk.require('2.0')

import gtk



class ImagesExample:

    # when invoked (via signal delete_event), terminates the application.

    def close_application(self, widget, event, data=None):

        gtk.main_quit()

        return False



    # is invoked when the button is clicked.  It just prints a message.

    def button_clicked(self, widget, data=None):

        print "button %s clicked" % data



    def __init__(self):

        # create the main window, and attach delete_event signal to terminating

        # the application

        window = gtk.Window(gtk.WINDOW_TOPLEVEL)

        window.connect("delete_event", self.close_application)

        window.set_border_width(10)

        window.show()



        # a horizontal box to hold the buttons

        hbox = gtk.HBox()

        hbox.show()

        window.add(hbox)



        pixbufanim = gtk.gdk.PixbufAnimation("goalie.gif")

        image = gtk.Image()

        image.set_from_animation(pixbufanim)

        image.show()

        # a button to contain the image widget

        button = gtk.Button()

        button.add(image)

        button.show()

        hbox.pack_start(button)

        button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "1")

        

        image = gtk.Image()

        image.set_from_file("soccerball.gif")

        image.show()

        # a button to contain the image widget

        button = gtk.Button()

        button.add(image)

        button.show()

        hbox.pack_start(button)

        button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "2")





def main():

    gtk.main()

    return 0



if __name__ == "__main__":

    ImagesExample()

    main()

ORIGINAL ANSWER

You can use PyQt with the QMovie() widget to play an animated gif. Bellow an example that I've found earlier.

Example from Python GUI Programming | DaniWeb web-site:

# use PyQt's QMovie() widget to play an animated gif

# tested with PyQt4.4 and Python 2.5

# also tetsed with PyQt4.5 and Python 3.0

# vegaseat



import sys

# expect minimal namespace conflicts

from PyQt4.QtCore import *

from PyQt4.QtGui import * 



class MoviePlayer(QWidget):

    def __init__(self, parent=None): 



    QWidget.__init__(self, parent)

    # setGeometry(x_pos, y_pos, width, height)

    self.setGeometry(200, 200, 400, 300)

    self.setWindowTitle("QMovie to show animated gif")



    # set up the movie screen on a label

    self.movie_screen = QLabel()

    # expand and center the label

    self.movie_screen.setSizePolicy(QSizePolicy.Expanding,

    QSizePolicy.Expanding)

    self.movie_screen.setAlignment(Qt.AlignCenter) 



    main_layout = QVBoxLayout()

    main_layout.addWidget(self.movie_screen)

    self.setLayout(main_layout)



    # use an animated gif file you have in the working folder

    # or give the full file path

    movie = QMovie("AG_Dog.gif", QByteArray(), self)

    movie.setCacheMode(QMovie.CacheAll)

    movie.setSpeed(100)

    self.movie_screen.setMovie(movie)

    movie.start() 



app = QApplication(sys.argv)

player = MoviePlayer()

player.show()

sys.exit(app.exec_())