diff --git a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts
index 3105399b6c..2e606610a3 100644
--- a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts
+++ b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts
@@ -872,22 +872,7 @@ export class TransitionAnimationEngine {
       if (players) {
         optimizeGroupPlayer(players).onDone(fn);
       } else {
-        let elementPlayers: AnimationPlayer[]|null = null;
-
-        let parent = element;
-        while (parent = parent.parentNode) {
-          const playersForThisElement = this.playersByElement.get(parent);
-          if (playersForThisElement && playersForThisElement.length) {
-            elementPlayers = playersForThisElement;
-            break;
-          }
-        }
-
-        if (elementPlayers) {
-          optimizeGroupPlayer(elementPlayers).onDone(fn);
-        } else {
-          fn();
-        }
+        fn();
       }
     });
 
diff --git a/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts
index 6beca5de35..75e68f19b2 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts
@@ -1127,14 +1127,13 @@ export function main() {
         expect(count).toEqual(2);
       });
 
-      it('should always make children wait for the parent animation to finish before any removals occur',
+      it('should allow inner removals to happen when a non removal-based parent animation is set to animate',
          () => {
            @Component({
              selector: 'ani-cmp',
              template: `
             <div #parent [@parent]="exp1" class="parent">
-              <div #child1 *ngIf="exp2" class="child1"></div>
-              <div #child2 *ngIf="exp2" class="child2"></div>
+              <div #child *ngIf="exp2" class="child"></div>
             </div>
           `,
              animations: [trigger(
@@ -1148,9 +1147,7 @@ export function main() {
 
              @ViewChild('parent') public parent: any;
 
-             @ViewChild('child1') public child1Elm: any;
-
-             @ViewChild('child2') public child2Elm: any;
+             @ViewChild('child') public child: any;
            }
 
            TestBed.configureTestingModule({declarations: [Cmp]});
@@ -1170,10 +1167,69 @@ export function main() {
            engine.flush();
 
            const player = getLog()[0];
+           const p = cmp.parent.nativeElement;
+           const c = cmp.child.nativeElement;
+
+           expect(p.contains(c)).toBeTruthy();
+
+           cmp.exp2 = false;
+           fixture.detectChanges();
+           engine.flush();
+
+           expect(p.contains(c)).toBeFalsy();
+
+           player.finish();
+
+           expect(p.contains(c)).toBeFalsy();
+         });
+
+      it('should make inner removals wait until a parent based removal animation has finished',
+         () => {
+           @Component({
+             selector: 'ani-cmp',
+             template: `
+            <div #parent *ngIf="exp1" @parent class="parent">
+              <div #child1 *ngIf="exp2" class="child1"></div>
+              <div #child2 *ngIf="exp2" class="child2"></div>
+            </div>
+          `,
+             animations: [trigger(
+                 'parent',
+                 [transition(
+                     ':leave', [style({opacity: 0}), animate(1000, style({opacity: 1}))])])]
+           })
+           class Cmp {
+             public exp1: any;
+             public exp2: any;
+
+             @ViewChild('parent') public parent: any;
+
+             @ViewChild('child1') public child1Elm: any;
+
+             @ViewChild('child2') public child2Elm: any;
+           }
+
+           TestBed.configureTestingModule({declarations: [Cmp]});
+
+           const engine = TestBed.get(ɵAnimationEngine);
+           const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(Cmp);
+           const cmp = fixture.componentInstance;
+
+           cmp.exp1 = true;
+           cmp.exp2 = true;
+           fixture.detectChanges();
+           engine.flush();
+           resetLog();
+
            const p = cmp.parent.nativeElement;
            const c1 = cmp.child1Elm.nativeElement;
            const c2 = cmp.child2Elm.nativeElement;
 
+           cmp.exp1 = false;
+           cmp.exp2 = false;
+           fixture.detectChanges();
+           engine.flush();
+
            expect(p.contains(c1)).toBeTruthy();
            expect(p.contains(c2)).toBeTruthy();
 
@@ -1183,11 +1239,6 @@ export function main() {
 
            expect(p.contains(c1)).toBeTruthy();
            expect(p.contains(c2)).toBeTruthy();
-
-           player.finish();
-
-           expect(p.contains(c1)).toBeFalsy();
-           expect(p.contains(c2)).toBeFalsy();
          });
 
       it('should substitute in values if the provided state match is an object with values', () => {