diff --git a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts
index d6f7547991..807939a228 100644
--- a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts
+++ b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/transition_animation_engine.ts
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ export class TransitionAnimationEngine {
 
   createNamespace(namespaceId: string, hostElement: any) {
     const ns = new AnimationTransitionNamespace(namespaceId, hostElement, this);
-    if (hostElement.parentNode) {
+    if (this.bodyNode && this.driver.containsElement(this.bodyNode, hostElement)) {
       this._balanceNamespaceList(ns, hostElement);
     } else {
       // defer this later until flush during when the host element has
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ export class TransitionAnimationEngine {
       this.newHostElements.set(hostElement, ns);
 
       // given that this host element is apart of the animation code, it
-      // may or may not be inserted by a parent node that is an of an
+      // may or may not be inserted by a parent node that is of an
       // animation renderer type. If this happens then we can still have
       // access to this item when we query for :enter nodes. If the parent
       // is a renderer then the set data-structure will normalize the entry
diff --git a/packages/core/test/animation/animation_query_integration_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/animation/animation_query_integration_spec.ts
index 527fb0f58f..ee403ec1da 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/animation/animation_query_integration_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/animation/animation_query_integration_spec.ts
@@ -2374,6 +2374,91 @@ describe('animation query tests', function() {
          ]);
        });
 
+    it(`should emulate a leave animation on a nested sub component's inner elements when a parent leave animation occurs with animateChild`,
+       () => {
+         @Component({
+           selector: 'ani-cmp',
+           template: `
+            <div @myAnimation *ngIf="exp" class="parent">
+              <child-cmp></child-cmp>
+            </div>
+          `,
+           animations: [
+             trigger(
+                 'myAnimation',
+                 [
+                   transition(
+                       ':leave',
+                       [
+                         query('@*', animateChild()),
+                       ]),
+                 ]),
+           ]
+         })
+         class ParentCmp {
+           public exp: boolean = true;
+         }
+
+         @Component({
+           selector: 'child-cmp',
+           template: `
+               <nested-child-cmp></nested-child-cmp>
+             `
+         })
+         class ChildCmp {
+         }
+
+         @Component({
+           selector: 'nested-child-cmp',
+           template: `
+               <section>
+                 <div class="inner-div" @myChildAnimation></div>
+               </section>
+             `,
+           animations: [
+             trigger(
+                 'myChildAnimation',
+                 [
+                   transition(
+                       ':leave',
+                       [
+                         style({opacity: 0}),
+                         animate('1s', style({opacity: 1})),
+                       ]),
+                 ]),
+           ]
+         })
+         class NestedChildCmp {
+         }
+
+         TestBed.configureTestingModule({declarations: [ParentCmp, ChildCmp, NestedChildCmp]});
+
+         const engine = TestBed.inject(ɵAnimationEngine);
+         const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ParentCmp);
+         const cmp = fixture.componentInstance;
+
+         cmp.exp = true;
+         fixture.detectChanges();
+
+         cmp.exp = false;
+         fixture.detectChanges();
+
+         // Inspect the players of the AnimationEngine and not those from getLog. The latter only
+         // returns the actual animation players, which the parent leave animation is not part
+         // of given that it does not have animation instructions of its own.
+         const players = engine.players;
+         expect(players.length).toEqual(1);
+         const player = players[0] as TransitionAnimationPlayer;
+         const realPlayer = player.getRealPlayer() as MockAnimationPlayer;
+
+         expect(player.element.classList.contains('parent')).toBeTruthy();
+         expect(realPlayer.element.classList.contains('inner-div')).toBeTruthy();
+         expect(realPlayer.keyframes).toEqual([
+           {opacity: '0', offset: 0},
+           {opacity: '1', offset: 1},
+         ]);
+       });
+
     it('should not cause a removal of inner @trigger DOM nodes when a parent animation occurs',
        fakeAsync(() => {
          @Component({