diff --git a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/dom_animation_engine.ts b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/dom_animation_engine.ts
index c92deae667..4e6119b55f 100644
--- a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/dom_animation_engine.ts
+++ b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/dom_animation_engine.ts
@@ -67,11 +67,18 @@ export class DomAnimationEngine {
   }
 
   onInsert(element: any, domFn: () => any): void {
-    this._flaggedInserts.add(element);
+    if (element['nodeType'] == 1) {
+      this._flaggedInserts.add(element);
+    }
     domFn();
   }
 
   onRemove(element: any, domFn: () => any): void {
+    if (element['nodeType'] != 1) {
+      domFn();
+      return;
+    }
+
     let lookupRef = this._elementTriggerStates.get(element);
     if (lookupRef) {
       const possibleTriggers = Object.keys(lookupRef);
diff --git a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/noop_animation_engine.ts b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/noop_animation_engine.ts
index 58100c0d2d..42063638ad 100644
--- a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/noop_animation_engine.ts
+++ b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/noop_animation_engine.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,9 @@ export class NoopAnimationEngine extends AnimationEngine {
 
   onRemove(element: any, domFn: () => any): void {
     domFn();
-    this._flaggedRemovals.add(element);
+    if (element['nodeType'] == 1) {
+      this._flaggedRemovals.add(element);
+    }
   }
 
   setProperty(element: any, property: string, value: any): void {
diff --git a/packages/animations/browser/test/engine/dom_animation_engine_spec.ts b/packages/animations/browser/test/engine/dom_animation_engine_spec.ts
index 365eaa02f5..3d1b749a54 100644
--- a/packages/animations/browser/test/engine/dom_animation_engine_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/animations/browser/test/engine/dom_animation_engine_spec.ts
@@ -328,6 +328,29 @@ export function main() {
       });
     });
 
+    describe('removals / insertions', () => {
+      it('should allow text nodes to be removed through the engine', () => {
+        const engine = makeEngine();
+        const node = document.createTextNode('hello');
+        element.appendChild(node);
+
+        let called = false;
+        engine.onRemove(node, () => called = true);
+
+        expect(called).toBeTruthy();
+      });
+
+      it('should allow text nodes to be inserted through the engine', () => {
+        const engine = makeEngine();
+        const node = document.createTextNode('hello');
+
+        let called = false;
+        engine.onInsert(node, () => called = true);
+
+        expect(called).toBeTruthy();
+      });
+    });
+
     describe('transition operations', () => {
       it('should persist the styles on the element as actual styles once the animation is complete',
          () => {
diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/animations/test/noop_animation_engine_spec.ts b/packages/platform-browser/animations/test/noop_animation_engine_spec.ts
index ef36ba1211..8c6bd9019f 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/animations/test/noop_animation_engine_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/animations/test/noop_animation_engine_spec.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ export function main() {
        () => {
          const engine = new NoopAnimationEngine();
 
-         const elm1 = {};
-         const elm2 = {};
+         const elm1 = {nodeType: 1};
+         const elm2 = {nodeType: 1};
          engine.onRemove(elm1, capture('1'));
          engine.onRemove(elm2, capture('2'));
 
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ export function main() {
 
     it('should fire a removal listener even if the listener is deregistered prior to flush', () => {
       const engine = new NoopAnimationEngine();
-      const elm = {};
+      const elm = {nodeType: 1};
 
       const fn = engine.listen(elm, 'trig', 'start', capture('removal listener'));
       fn();