To be honest, React could still be an option for you. It's not a framework like Angular or Ember. It's more similar to something like jQuery, a library that can be used anywhere on your page / site. It's also super easy to learn... I was able to learn and apply it to a small piece of a site I was working on in about 30 - 45 minutes.
That being said, if your main goal is aesthetics and you just want to try something new along the way, I would go with one of the libraries you replied with earlier. They offer solutions out of the box that will get you to your desired results much easier / faster. I've impressed a lot of clients using Tilt + Waypoint :)