diff --git a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/animation_engine_next.ts b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/animation_engine_next.ts
index 4aa25fc0db..7f1fef4b03 100644
--- a/packages/animations/browser/src/render/animation_engine_next.ts
+++ b/packages/animations/browser/src/render/animation_engine_next.ts
@@ -67,17 +67,20 @@ export class AnimationEngine {
     this._transitionEngine.removeNode(namespaceId, element, context);
   }
 
-  disableAnimations(element: any, disable: boolean) {
-    this._transitionEngine.markElementAsDisabled(element, disable);
-  }
-
-  process(namespaceId: string, element: any, property: string, value: any) {
-    if (property.charAt(0) == '@') {
-      const [id, action] = parseTimelineCommand(property);
-      const args = value as any[];
-      this._timelineEngine.command(id, element, action, args);
-    } else {
-      this._transitionEngine.trigger(namespaceId, element, property, value);
+  process(namespaceId: string, element: any, property: string, value: any): boolean {
+    switch (property.charAt(0)) {
+      case '.':
+        if (property == '.disabled') {
+          this._transitionEngine.markElementAsDisabled(element, !!value);
+        }
+        return false;
+      case '@':
+        const [id, action] = parseTimelineCommand(property);
+        const args = value as any[];
+        this._timelineEngine.command(id, element, action, args);
+        return false;
+      default:
+        return this._transitionEngine.trigger(namespaceId, element, property, value);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts
index 32e779eaed..52acb25d8a 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/animation/animation_integration_spec.ts
@@ -1815,12 +1815,12 @@ export function main() {
           selector: 'my-cmp',
           template: `
               <div class="parent" [@parent]="exp" (@parent.done)="cb('all','done', $event)">
-                <div *ngFor="let item of items"
+                <div *ngFor="let item of items" 
                      class="item item-{{ item }}"
                      @child
                      (@child.start)="cb('c-' + item, 'start', $event)"
                      (@child.done)="cb('c-' + item, 'done', $event)">
-                  {{ item }}
+                  {{ item }} 
                 </div>
               </div>
             `,
@@ -2153,57 +2153,6 @@ export function main() {
              expect(cmp.startEvent.totalTime).toEqual(9876);
              // the done event isn't fired because it's an actual animation
            }));
-
-        it('should work when there are no animations on the component handling the disable/enable flag',
-           () => {
-             @Component({
-               selector: 'parent-cmp',
-               template: `
-              <div [@.disabled]="disableExp">
-                <child-cmp #child></child-cmp>
-              </div>
-                `
-             })
-             class ParentCmp {
-               @ViewChild('child') public child: ChildCmp|null = null;
-               disableExp = false;
-             }
-
-             @Component({
-               selector: 'child-cmp',
-               template: `
-                <div [@myAnimation]="exp"></div>
-                `,
-               animations: [trigger(
-                   'myAnimation',
-                   [transition(
-                       '* => go, * => goAgain',
-                       [style({opacity: 0}), animate('1s', style({opacity: 1}))])])]
-             })
-             class ChildCmp {
-               public exp = '';
-             }
-
-             TestBed.configureTestingModule({declarations: [ParentCmp, ChildCmp]});
-
-             const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ParentCmp);
-             const cmp = fixture.componentInstance;
-             cmp.disableExp = true;
-             fixture.detectChanges();
-             resetLog();
-
-             const child = cmp.child !;
-             child.exp = 'go';
-             fixture.detectChanges();
-
-             expect(getLog().length).toEqual(0);
-             resetLog();
-
-             cmp.disableExp = false;
-             child.exp = 'goAgain';
-             fixture.detectChanges();
-             expect(getLog().length).toEqual(1);
-           });
       });
     });
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/animations/src/animation_renderer.ts b/packages/platform-browser/animations/src/animation_renderer.ts
index 4b551a96ec..3f57a5b9ab 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/animations/src/animation_renderer.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/animations/src/animation_renderer.ts
@@ -9,9 +9,6 @@ import {AnimationTriggerMetadata} from '@angular/animations';
 import {ɵAnimationEngine as AnimationEngine} from '@angular/animations/browser';
 import {Injectable, NgZone, Renderer2, RendererFactory2, RendererStyleFlags2, RendererType2} from '@angular/core';
 
-const ANIMATION_PREFIX = '@';
-const DISABLE_ANIMATIONS_FLAG = '@.disabled';
-
 @Injectable()
 export class AnimationRendererFactory implements RendererFactory2 {
   private _currentId: number = 0;
@@ -169,11 +166,7 @@ export class BaseAnimationRenderer implements Renderer2 {
   }
 
   setProperty(el: any, name: string, value: any): void {
-    if (name.charAt(0) == ANIMATION_PREFIX && name == DISABLE_ANIMATIONS_FLAG) {
-      this.disableAnimations(el, !!value);
-    } else {
-      this.delegate.setProperty(el, name, value);
-    }
+    this.delegate.setProperty(el, name, value);
   }
 
   setValue(node: any, value: string): void { this.delegate.setValue(node, value); }
@@ -181,10 +174,6 @@ export class BaseAnimationRenderer implements Renderer2 {
   listen(target: any, eventName: string, callback: (event: any) => boolean | void): () => void {
     return this.delegate.listen(target, eventName, callback);
   }
-
-  protected disableAnimations(element: any, value: boolean) {
-    this.engine.disableAnimations(element, value);
-  }
 }
 
 export class AnimationRenderer extends BaseAnimationRenderer implements Renderer2 {
@@ -196,12 +185,9 @@ export class AnimationRenderer extends BaseAnimationRenderer implements Renderer
   }
 
   setProperty(el: any, name: string, value: any): void {
-    if (name.charAt(0) == ANIMATION_PREFIX) {
-      if (name.charAt(1) == '.' && name == DISABLE_ANIMATIONS_FLAG) {
-        this.disableAnimations(el, !!value);
-      } else {
-        this.engine.process(this.namespaceId, el, name.substr(1), value);
-      }
+    if (name.charAt(0) == '@') {
+      name = name.substr(1);
+      this.engine.process(this.namespaceId, el, name, value);
     } else {
       this.delegate.setProperty(el, name, value);
     }
@@ -209,13 +195,11 @@ export class AnimationRenderer extends BaseAnimationRenderer implements Renderer
 
   listen(target: 'window'|'document'|'body'|any, eventName: string, callback: (event: any) => any):
       () => void {
-    if (eventName.charAt(0) == ANIMATION_PREFIX) {
+    if (eventName.charAt(0) == '@') {
       const element = resolveElementFromTarget(target);
       let name = eventName.substr(1);
       let phase = '';
-      // @listener.phase is for trigger animation callbacks
-      // @@listener is for animation builder callbacks
-      if (name.charAt(0) != ANIMATION_PREFIX) {
+      if (name.charAt(0) != '@') {  // transition-specific
         [name, phase] = parseTriggerCallbackName(name);
       }
       return this.engine.listen(this.namespaceId, element, name, phase, event => {