diff --git a/src/ng/animateRunner.js b/src/ng/animateRunner.js
index 51701b4c16f8..0b6cacc8d6f0 100644
--- a/src/ng/animateRunner.js
+++ b/src/ng/animateRunner.js
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ var $$AnimateAsyncRunFactoryProvider = function() {
 };
 
 var $$AnimateRunnerFactoryProvider = function() {
-  this.$get = ['$q', '$sniffer', '$$animateAsyncRun',
-       function($q,   $sniffer,   $$animateAsyncRun) {
+  this.$get = ['$q', '$sniffer', '$$animateAsyncRun', '$document', '$timeout',
+       function($q,   $sniffer,   $$animateAsyncRun,   $document,   $timeout) {
 
     var INITIAL_STATE = 0;
     var DONE_PENDING_STATE = 1;
@@ -74,8 +74,19 @@ var $$AnimateRunnerFactoryProvider = function() {
     function AnimateRunner(host) {
       this.setHost(host);
 
+      var rafTick = $$animateAsyncRun();
+      var timeoutTick = function(fn) {
+        $timeout(fn, 0, false);
+      };
+
       this._doneCallbacks = [];
-      this._runInAnimationFrame = $$animateAsyncRun();
+      this._tick = function(fn) {
+        if ($document[0].hidden) {
+          timeoutTick(fn);
+        } else {
+          rafTick(fn);
+        }
+      };
       this._state = 0;
     }
 
@@ -148,7 +159,7 @@ var $$AnimateRunnerFactoryProvider = function() {
         var self = this;
         if (self._state === INITIAL_STATE) {
           self._state = DONE_PENDING_STATE;
-          self._runInAnimationFrame(function() {
+          self._tick(function() {
             self._resolve(response);
           });
         }
diff --git a/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js b/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js
index 6432f80936c6..39669a99491b 100644
--- a/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js
+++ b/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js
@@ -337,7 +337,8 @@ var $$AnimateQueueProvider = ['$animateProvider', function($animateProvider) {
       // this is a hard disable of all animations for the application or on
       // the element itself, therefore  there is no need to continue further
       // past this point if not enabled
-      var skipAnimations = !animationsEnabled || disabledElementsLookup.get(node);
+      var doc = $document[0];
+      var skipAnimations = !animationsEnabled || doc.hidden || disabledElementsLookup.get(node);
       var existingAnimation = (!skipAnimations && activeAnimationsLookup.get(node)) || {};
       var hasExistingAnimation = !!existingAnimation.state;
 
diff --git a/test/ng/animateRunnerSpec.js b/test/ng/animateRunnerSpec.js
index d6fab470e8df..f8bcf0684579 100644
--- a/test/ng/animateRunnerSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/animateRunnerSpec.js
@@ -162,6 +162,43 @@ describe("$$AnimateRunner", function() {
     expect(animationFailed).toBe(true);
   }));
 
+  it("should revert to using timeouts when the webpage is not visible", function() {
+    var doc;
+
+    module(function($provide) {
+      doc = jqLite({
+        body: document.body,
+        hidden: true
+      });
+      $provide.value('$document', doc);
+    });
+
+    inject(function($$AnimateRunner, $rootScope, $$rAF, $timeout) {
+      var spy = jasmine.createSpy();
+      var runner = new $$AnimateRunner();
+      runner.done(spy);
+      runner.complete(true);
+      expect(spy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      $$rAF.flush();
+      expect(spy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      $timeout.flush();
+      expect(spy).toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+      doc[0].hidden = false;
+
+      spy = jasmine.createSpy();
+      runner = new $$AnimateRunner();
+      runner.done(spy);
+      runner.complete(true);
+      expect(spy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      $$rAF.flush();
+      expect(spy).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(function() {
+        $timeout.flush();
+      }).toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+
   they("should expose the `finally` promise function to handle the final state when $prop",
     { 'rejected': 'cancel', 'resolved': 'end' }, function(method) {
     inject(function($$AnimateRunner, $rootScope) {
diff --git a/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js b/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
index 09e78af4c132..a68297e984fb 100644
--- a/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
+++ b/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
@@ -148,6 +148,31 @@ describe("animations", function() {
       expect(copiedOptions).toEqual(initialOptions);
     }));
 
+    it("should skip animations entirely if the document is not active", function() {
+      var doc;
+
+      module(function($provide) {
+        doc = jqLite({
+          body: document.body,
+          hidden: true
+        });
+        $provide.value('$document', doc);
+      });
+
+      inject(function($animate, $rootScope) {
+        $animate.enter(element, parent);
+        $rootScope.$digest();
+        expect(capturedAnimation).toBeFalsy();
+        expect(element[0].parentNode).toEqual(parent[0]);
+
+        doc[0].hidden = false;
+
+        $animate.leave(element);
+        $rootScope.$digest();
+        expect(capturedAnimation).toBeTruthy();
+      });
+    });
+
     it('should animate only the specified CSS className matched within $animateProvider.classNameFilter', function() {
       module(function($animateProvider) {
         $animateProvider.classNameFilter(/only-allow-this-animation/);