diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp
index 4e33873d32..4448360bd1 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ Animation::Animation(const MWWorld::Ptr &ptr)
     , mTime(0.0f)
     , mCurGroup(mTextKeys.end())
     , mNextGroup(mTextKeys.end())
-    , mAnimState(NULL)
     , mSkipFrame(false)
 {
 }
@@ -80,10 +79,8 @@ void Animation::createEntityList(Ogre::SceneNode *node, const std::string &model
             while(as.hasMoreElements())
             {
                 Ogre::AnimationState *state = as.getNext();
-                state->setEnabled(true);
+                state->setEnabled(false);
                 state->setLoop(false);
-                if(!mAnimState)
-                    mAnimState = state;
             }
         }
     }
@@ -92,12 +89,12 @@ void Animation::createEntityList(Ogre::SceneNode *node, const std::string &model
 
 void Animation::updatePosition(float time)
 {
-    mAnimState->setTimePosition(time);
+    mCurGroup.mAnimState->setTimePosition(time);
     if(mNonAccumRoot)
     {
         /* Update the animation and get the non-accumulation root's difference from the
          * last update. */
-        mEntityList.mSkelBase->getSkeleton()->setAnimationState(*mAnimState->getParent());
+        mEntityList.mSkelBase->getSkeleton()->setAnimationState(*mCurGroup.mAnimState->getParent());
         Ogre::Vector3 posdiff = mNonAccumRoot->getPosition() - mLastPosition;
 
         /* Translate the accumulation root back to compensate for the move. */
@@ -118,10 +115,10 @@ void Animation::updatePosition(float time)
 
 void Animation::resetPosition(float time)
 {
-    mAnimState->setTimePosition(time);
+    mCurGroup.mAnimState->setTimePosition(time);
     if(mNonAccumRoot)
     {
-        mEntityList.mSkelBase->getSkeleton()->setAnimationState(*mAnimState->getParent());
+        mEntityList.mSkelBase->getSkeleton()->setAnimationState(*mCurGroup.mAnimState->getParent());
         mLastPosition = mNonAccumRoot->getPosition();
         mAccumRoot->setPosition(mStartPosition - mLastPosition);
     }
@@ -162,24 +159,27 @@ bool Animation::findGroupTimes(const std::string &groupname, Animation::GroupTim
 
 void Animation::playGroup(std::string groupname, int mode, int loops)
 {
-    if(mTextKeys.size() == 0)
-    {
-        std::cerr<< "Trying to animate an unanimate object" <<std::endl;
-        return;
-    }
     GroupTimes times(mTextKeys.end());
-    times.mLoops = loops;
 
-    std::transform(groupname.begin(), groupname.end(), groupname.begin(), ::tolower);
-    if(groupname == "all")
-    {
-        times.mStart = times.mLoopStart = mTextKeys.begin();
-        times.mLoopStop = times.mStop = mTextKeys.end();
-        times.mLoopStop--; times.mStop--;
+    try {
+        if(mTextKeys.size() == 0)
+            throw std::runtime_error("Trying to animate an unanimate object");
+
+        std::transform(groupname.begin(), groupname.end(), groupname.begin(), ::tolower);
+        times.mAnimState = mEntityList.mSkelBase->getAnimationState(groupname);
+        times.mLoops = loops;
+
+        if(groupname == "all")
+        {
+            times.mStart = times.mLoopStart = mTextKeys.begin();
+            times.mLoopStop = times.mStop = mTextKeys.end();
+            times.mLoopStop--; times.mStop--;
+        }
+        else if(!findGroupTimes(groupname, &times))
+            throw std::runtime_error("Failed to find animation group "+groupname);
     }
-    else if(!findGroupTimes(groupname, &times))
-    {
-        std::cerr<< "Failed to find animation group "<<groupname <<std::endl;
+    catch(std::exception &e) {
+        std::cerr<< e.what() <<std::endl;
         return;
     }
 
@@ -187,9 +187,12 @@ void Animation::playGroup(std::string groupname, int mode, int loops)
         mNextGroup = times;
     else
     {
+        if(mCurGroup.mAnimState)
+            mCurGroup.mAnimState->setEnabled(false);
         mCurGroup = times;
         mNextGroup = GroupTimes(mTextKeys.end());
         mTime = ((mode==2) ? mCurGroup.mLoopStart : mCurGroup.mStart)->first;
+        mCurGroup.mAnimState->setEnabled(true);
         resetPosition(mTime);
     }
 }
@@ -201,7 +204,7 @@ void Animation::skipAnim()
 
 void Animation::runAnimation(float timepassed)
 {
-    if(mAnimState && !mSkipFrame)
+    if(mCurGroup.mAnimState && !mSkipFrame)
     {
         mTime += timepassed;
     recheck:
@@ -221,9 +224,11 @@ void Animation::runAnimation(float timepassed)
                 {
                     updatePosition(mCurGroup.mStop->first);
                     mTime = mTime - mCurGroup.mStop->first + mNextGroup.mStart->first;
-                    resetPosition(mNextGroup.mStart->first);
+                    mCurGroup.mAnimState->setEnabled(false);
                     mCurGroup = mNextGroup;
                     mNextGroup = GroupTimes(mTextKeys.end());
+                    mCurGroup.mAnimState->setEnabled(true);
+                    resetPosition(mNextGroup.mStart->first);
                     goto recheck;
                 }
                 mTime = mCurGroup.mStop->first;
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.hpp
index 44a2eaf3ee..e84ebb3585 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.hpp
@@ -16,11 +16,12 @@ class Animation
         NifOgre::TextKeyMap::const_iterator mLoopStart;
         NifOgre::TextKeyMap::const_iterator mLoopStop;
 
+        Ogre::AnimationState *mAnimState;
         size_t mLoops;
 
         GroupTimes(NifOgre::TextKeyMap::const_iterator iter)
           : mStart(iter), mStop(iter), mLoopStart(iter), mLoopStop(iter),
-            mLoops(0)
+            mAnimState(NULL), mLoops(0)
         { }
     };
 
@@ -38,7 +39,6 @@ protected:
     float mTime;
     GroupTimes mCurGroup;
     GroupTimes mNextGroup;
-    Ogre::AnimationState *mAnimState;
 
     bool mSkipFrame;
 
diff --git a/components/nifogre/ogre_nif_loader.cpp b/components/nifogre/ogre_nif_loader.cpp
index 803496bf9e..c4846cdfd9 100644
--- a/components/nifogre/ogre_nif_loader.cpp
+++ b/components/nifogre/ogre_nif_loader.cpp
@@ -410,7 +410,45 @@ void loadResource(Ogre::Resource *resource)
         return;
     }
 
+    TextKeyMap textkeys;
+    Ogre::Skeleton::BoneIterator boneiter = skel->getBoneIterator();
+    while(boneiter.hasMoreElements())
+    {
+        Ogre::Bone *bone = boneiter.peekNext();
+        const Ogre::Any &data = bone->getUserObjectBindings().getUserAny(sTextKeyExtraDataID);
+        if(!data.isEmpty())
+        {
+            textkeys = Ogre::any_cast<NifOgre::TextKeyMap>(data);
+            break;
+        }
+        boneiter.moveNext();
+    }
+
     buildAnimation(skel, "all", ctrls, targets, 0.0f, std::numeric_limits<float>::max());
+
+    std::string currentgroup;
+    TextKeyMap::const_iterator keyiter = textkeys.begin();
+    for(keyiter = textkeys.begin();keyiter != textkeys.end();keyiter++)
+    {
+        std::string::size_type sep = keyiter->second.find(':');
+        if(sep == currentgroup.length() && keyiter->second.compare(0, sep, currentgroup) == 0)
+            continue;
+        currentgroup = keyiter->second.substr(0, sep);
+
+        if(skel->hasAnimation(currentgroup))
+            continue;
+
+        TextKeyMap::const_reverse_iterator lastkeyiter = textkeys.rbegin();
+        while(lastkeyiter->first > keyiter->first)
+        {
+            if(lastkeyiter->second.find(':') == currentgroup.length() &&
+               lastkeyiter->second.compare(0, currentgroup.length(), currentgroup) == 0)
+                break;
+            lastkeyiter++;
+        }
+
+        buildAnimation(skel, currentgroup, ctrls, targets, keyiter->first, lastkeyiter->first);
+    }
 }
 
 bool createSkeleton(const std::string &name, const std::string &group, const Nif::Node *node)