diff --git a/src/plot_api/plot_api.js b/src/plot_api/plot_api.js
index b32dcb59748..210bf6ca5e3 100644
--- a/src/plot_api/plot_api.js
+++ b/src/plot_api/plot_api.js
@@ -2811,7 +2811,11 @@ function diffData(gd, oldFullData, newFullData, immutable, transition, newDataRe
     var i, trace;
 
     function getTraceValObject(parts) {
-        return PlotSchema.getTraceValObject(trace, parts);
+        var out = PlotSchema.getTraceValObject(trace, parts);
+        if(!trace._module.animatable && out.anim) {
+            out.anim = false;
+        }
+        return out;
     }
 
     var diffOpts = {
diff --git a/src/plot_api/plot_schema.js b/src/plot_api/plot_schema.js
index 9bfcd6f604d..3853d1ab864 100644
--- a/src/plot_api/plot_schema.js
+++ b/src/plot_api/plot_schema.js
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
 */
 
-
 'use strict';
 
 var Registry = require('../registry');
@@ -504,6 +503,7 @@ function getTraceAttributes(type) {
     var out = {
         meta: _module.meta || {},
         categories: _module.categories || {},
+        animatable: Boolean(_module.animatable),
         type: type,
         attributes: formatAttributes(attributes),
     };
@@ -516,6 +516,15 @@ function getTraceAttributes(type) {
         out.layoutAttributes = formatAttributes(layoutAttributes);
     }
 
+    // drop anim:true in non-animatable modules
+    if(!_module.animatable) {
+        exports.crawl(out, function(attr) {
+            if(exports.isValObject(attr) && 'anim' in attr) {
+                delete attr.anim;
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     return out;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/jasmine/bundle_tests/plotschema_test.js b/test/jasmine/bundle_tests/plotschema_test.js
index b92a9ec9b62..89fcd888998 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/bundle_tests/plotschema_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/bundle_tests/plotschema_test.js
@@ -377,6 +377,22 @@ describe('plot schema', function() {
         expect(traces.parcoords.attributes.hoverinfo).toBe(undefined, 'no hover attrs for parcoords');
         expect(traces.scatter3d.attributes.selectedpoints).toBe(undefined, 'no selectedpoints for gl3d traces');
     });
+
+    it('traces that are not animatable should not list `anim:true` attributes', function() {
+        var notAnimatable = Object.keys(plotSchema.traces).filter(function(traceType) {
+            return !plotSchema.traces[traceType].animatable;
+        });
+
+        notAnimatable.forEach(function(traceType) {
+            Plotly.PlotSchema.crawl(plotSchema.traces[traceType].attributes, function() {
+                var attr = arguments[0];
+                var astr = arguments[4];
+                if(Plotly.PlotSchema.isValObject(attr) && 'anim' in attr) {
+                    fail('Trace module ' + traceType + ' sets *' + astr + '* with anim:true');
+                }
+            });
+        });
+    });
 });
 
 describe('getTraceValObject', function() {
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/transition_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/transition_test.js
index 222d8cd397f..9667086a58a 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/transition_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/transition_test.js
@@ -431,6 +431,47 @@ describe('Plotly.react transitions:', function() {
         .then(done);
     });
 
+    it('should no try to transition a trace which is not *animatable:true* yet', function(done) {
+        addSpies();
+
+        var trace = {
+            type: 'bar',
+            y: [1],
+            marker: {line: {width: 1}}
+        };
+
+        var data = [trace];
+        var layout = {transition: {duration: 10}};
+
+        // sanity check that this test actually tests what was intended
+        var Bar = Registry.modules.bar._module;
+        if(Bar.animatable || Bar.attributes.marker.line.width.anim !== true) {
+            fail('Test no longer tests its indented code path:' +
+                ' This test is meant to test that Plotly.react with' +
+                ' *anim:true* attributes in *animatable:false* modules' +
+                ' does not trigger Plots.transitionFromReact calls.'
+            );
+        }
+
+        Plotly.react(gd, data, layout)
+        .then(function() {
+            assertSpies('first draw', [
+                [Plots, 'transitionFromReact', 0]
+            ]);
+        })
+        .then(function() {
+            trace.marker.line.width = 5;
+            return Plotly.react(gd, data, layout);
+        })
+        .then(function() {
+            assertSpies('after (transition) react call', [
+                [Plots, 'transitionFromReact', 0]
+            ]);
+        })
+        .catch(failTest)
+        .then(done);
+    });
+
     it('should not try to transition when the *config* has changed', function(done) {
         addSpies();