Please correct me if I am wrong but
for solution 1 since we are using a
lerp we would lose any sort of curve
that the original animation had right?
Yes. In this very case the widget animation is a linear 0-1 alpha. Using a timeline and piping the data into the widget is not a bad idea, though - all the control you will ever need.
If that’s not possible, the widget animation’s linear progress can sample an external curve:
