diff --git a/src/ngAnimate/animate.js b/src/ngAnimate/animate.js
index f1945d02d224..35c52a6f417c 100644
--- a/src/ngAnimate/animate.js
+++ b/src/ngAnimate/animate.js
@@ -205,9 +205,9 @@ angular.module('ngAnimate', ['ng'])
     var ELEMENT_NODE = 1;
     var NG_ANIMATE_STATE = '$$ngAnimateState';
     var NG_ANIMATE_CLASS_NAME = 'ng-animate';
-    var rootAnimateState = {running:true};
-    $provide.decorator('$animate', ['$delegate', '$injector', '$sniffer', '$rootElement', '$timeout', '$rootScope',
-                            function($delegate,   $injector,   $sniffer,   $rootElement,   $timeout,   $rootScope) {
+    var rootAnimateState = {disabled:true};
+    $provide.decorator('$animate', ['$delegate', '$injector', '$sniffer', '$rootElement', '$timeout', '$rootScope', '$document',
+                            function($delegate,   $injector,   $sniffer,   $rootElement,   $timeout,   $rootScope,   $document) {
 
       $rootElement.data(NG_ANIMATE_STATE, rootAnimateState);
 
@@ -466,18 +466,17 @@ angular.module('ngAnimate', ['ng'])
               }
               else {
                 var data = element.data(NG_ANIMATE_STATE) || {};
-                data.structural = true;
-                data.running = true;
+                data.disabled = true;
                 element.data(NG_ANIMATE_STATE, data);
               }
             break;
 
             case 1:
-              rootAnimateState.running = !value;
+              rootAnimateState.disabled = !value;
             break;
 
             default:
-              value = !rootAnimateState.running;
+              value = !rootAnimateState.disabled;
             break;
           }
           return !!value;
@@ -498,7 +497,6 @@ angular.module('ngAnimate', ['ng'])
           parent = after ? after.parent() : element.parent();
         }
 
-        var disabledAnimation = { running : true };
         var matches = lookup(animationLookup);
         var isClassBased = event == 'addClass' || event == 'removeClass';
         var ngAnimateState = element.data(NG_ANIMATE_STATE) || {};
@@ -507,7 +505,7 @@ angular.module('ngAnimate', ['ng'])
         //the element is not currently attached to the document body or then completely close
         //the animation if any matching animations are not found at all.
         //NOTE: IE8 + IE9 should close properly (run done()) in case a NO animation is not found.
-        if ((parent.inheritedData(NG_ANIMATE_STATE) || disabledAnimation).running || matches.length == 0) {
+        if (animationsDisabled(element, parent) || matches.length === 0) {
           done();
           return;
         }
@@ -528,7 +526,7 @@ angular.module('ngAnimate', ['ng'])
 
         //this would mean that an animation was not allowed so let the existing
         //animation do it's thing and close this one early
-        if(animations.length == 0) {
+        if(animations.length === 0) {
           onComplete && onComplete();
           return;
         }
@@ -622,8 +620,39 @@ angular.module('ngAnimate', ['ng'])
       }
 
       function cleanup(element) {
-        element.removeClass(NG_ANIMATE_CLASS_NAME);
-        element.removeData(NG_ANIMATE_STATE);
+        if(element[0] == $rootElement[0]) {
+          if(!rootAnimateState.disabled) {
+            rootAnimateState.running = false;
+            rootAnimateState.structural = false;
+          }
+        }
+        else {
+          element.removeClass(NG_ANIMATE_CLASS_NAME);
+          element.removeData(NG_ANIMATE_STATE);
+        }
+      }
+
+      function animationsDisabled(element, parent) {
+        if(element == $rootElement) {
+          return rootAnimateState.disabled || rootAnimateState.running;
+        }
+
+        var validState;
+        do {
+          //the element did not reach the root element which means that it
+          //is not apart of the DOM. Therefore there is no reason to do
+          //any animations on it
+          if(parent.length === 0 || parent[0] == $document[0]) return true;
+
+          var state = parent.data(NG_ANIMATE_STATE);
+          if(state && (state.disabled != null || state.running != null)) {
+            validState = state;
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+        while(parent = parent.parent());
+
+        return validState ? (validState.disabled || validState.running) : true;
       }
     }]);
 
diff --git a/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js b/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
index 6dfd46e5c0dd..3919dc532219 100644
--- a/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
+++ b/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
@@ -56,6 +56,70 @@ describe("ngAnimate", function() {
         expect($animate.enabled(1)).toBe(true);
         expect($animate.enabled()).toBe(true);
       });
+
+      it('should place a hard disable on all child animations', function() {
+        var count = 0;
+        module(function($animateProvider) {
+          $animateProvider.register('.animated', function() {
+            return {
+              addClass : function(element, className, done) {
+                count++;
+                done();
+              }
+            }
+          });
+        });
+        inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $animate, $sniffer, $rootElement, $timeout) {
+          $animate.enabled(true);
+
+          var elm1 = $compile('<div class="animated"></div>')($rootScope);
+          var elm2 = $compile('<div class="animated"></div>')($rootScope);
+          $rootElement.append(elm1);
+          angular.element(document.body).append($rootElement);
+
+          $animate.addClass(elm1, 'klass');
+          expect(count).toBe(1);
+
+          $animate.enabled(false);
+
+          $animate.addClass(elm1, 'klass2');
+          expect(count).toBe(1);
+
+          $animate.enabled(true);
+
+          elm1.append(elm2);
+
+          $animate.addClass(elm2, 'klass');
+          expect(count).toBe(2);
+
+          $animate.enabled(false, elm1);
+
+          $animate.addClass(elm2, 'klass2');
+          expect(count).toBe(2);
+        });
+      });
+
+      it('should skip animations if the element is attached to the $rootElement', function() {
+        var count = 0;
+        module(function($animateProvider) {
+          $animateProvider.register('.animated', function() {
+            return {
+              addClass : function(element, className, done) {
+                count++;
+                done();
+              }
+            }
+          });
+        });
+        inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $animate, $sniffer, $rootElement, $timeout) {
+          $animate.enabled(true);
+
+          var elm1 = $compile('<div class="animated"></div>')($rootScope);
+
+          $animate.addClass(elm1, 'klass2');
+          expect(count).toBe(0);
+        });
+      });
     });
 
     describe("with polyfill", function() {
@@ -1956,4 +2020,28 @@ describe("ngAnimate", function() {
     expect(element.hasClass('red-add')).toBe(false); 
     expect(element.hasClass('yellow-add')).toBe(true);
   }));
+
+  it('should enable and disable animations properly on the root element', function() {
+    var count = 0;
+    module(function($animateProvider) {
+      $animateProvider.register('.animated', function() {
+        return {
+          addClass : function(element, className, done) {
+            count++;
+            done();
+          }
+        }
+      });
+    });
+    inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $animate, $sniffer, $rootElement, $timeout) {
+
+      $rootElement.addClass('animated');
+      $animate.addClass($rootElement, 'green');
+      expect(count).toBe(1);
+
+      $animate.addClass($rootElement, 'red');
+      expect(count).toBe(2);
+    });
+  });
+
 });