diff --git a/src/animationFactory.js b/src/animationFactory.js
index b258e311..3d2cf8a1 100644
--- a/src/animationFactory.js
+++ b/src/animationFactory.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ function AnimationFactory() {
 
 }
 
-AnimationFactory.prototype.genCommitBirthAnimation = function(animationQueue, commit) {
+AnimationFactory.prototype.genCommitBirthAnimation = function(animationQueue, commit, gitVisuals) {
   if (!animationQueue) {
     throw new Error("Need animation queue to add closure to!");
   }
@@ -69,8 +69,7 @@ AnimationFactory.prototype.overrideOpacityDepth3 = function(snapShot, opacity) {
   return newSnap;
 };
 
-AnimationFactory.prototype.genCommitBirthClosureFromSnapshot = function(step) {
-
+AnimationFactory.prototype.genCommitBirthClosureFromSnapshot = function(step, gitVisuals) {
   var time = GRAPHICS.defaultAnimationTime * 1.0;
   var bounceTime = time * 1.5;
 
@@ -90,7 +89,7 @@ AnimationFactory.prototype.genCommitBirthClosureFromSnapshot = function(step) {
   return animation;
 };
 
-AnimationFactory.prototype.refreshTree = function(animationQueue) {
+AnimationFactory.prototype.refreshTree = function(animationQueue, gitVisuals) {
   animationQueue.add(new Animation({
     closure: function() {
       gitVisuals.refreshTree();
@@ -98,9 +97,11 @@ AnimationFactory.prototype.refreshTree = function(animationQueue) {
   }));
 };
 
-AnimationFactory.prototype.rebaseAnimation = function(animationQueue, rebaseResponse, gitEngine) {
+AnimationFactory.prototype.rebaseAnimation = function(animationQueue, rebaseResponse,
+                                                      gitEngine, gitVisuals) {
+
   this.rebaseHighlightPart(animationQueue, rebaseResponse, gitEngine);
-  this.rebaseBirthPart(animationQueue, rebaseResponse, gitEngine);
+  this.rebaseBirthPart(animationQueue, rebaseResponse, gitEngine, gitVisuals);
 };
 
 AnimationFactory.prototype.rebaseHighlightPart = function(animationQueue, rebaseResponse, gitEngine) {
@@ -130,7 +131,8 @@ AnimationFactory.prototype.rebaseHighlightPart = function(animationQueue, rebase
   this.delay(animationQueue, fullTime * 2);
 };
 
-AnimationFactory.prototype.rebaseBirthPart = function(animationQueue, rebaseResponse, gitEngine) {
+AnimationFactory.prototype.rebaseBirthPart = function(animationQueue, rebaseResponse,
+                                                      gitEngine, gitVisuals) {
   var rebaseSteps = rebaseResponse.rebaseSteps;
 
   var newVisNodes = [];
@@ -150,9 +152,10 @@ AnimationFactory.prototype.rebaseBirthPart = function(animationQueue, rebaseResp
       rebaseStep.beforeSnapshot,
       rebaseStep.afterSnapshot,
       toOmit,
-      previousVisNodes
+      previousVisNodes,
+      gitVisuals
     );
-    var birthPart = this.genCommitBirthClosureFromSnapshot(rebaseStep);
+    var birthPart = this.genCommitBirthClosureFromSnapshot(rebaseStep, gitVisuals);
 
     var animation = function() {
       snapshotPart();
@@ -214,7 +217,8 @@ AnimationFactory.prototype.genFromToSnapshotAnimation = function(
   beforeSnapshot,
   afterSnapshot,
   commitsToOmit,
-  commitsToFixOpacity) {
+  commitsToFixOpacity,
+  gitVisuals) {
 
   // we want to omit the commit outgoing edges
   var toOmit = [];
@@ -244,3 +248,4 @@ AnimationFactory.prototype.genFromToSnapshotAnimation = function(
     gitVisuals.animateAllFromAttrToAttr(beforeSnapshot, afterSnapshot, toOmit);
   };
 };
+
diff --git a/src/git.js b/src/git.js
index b90f9665..403b7edd 100644
--- a/src/git.js
+++ b/src/git.js
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.revertStarter = function() {
   var response = this.revert(this.generalArgs);
 
   if (response) {
-    animationFactory.rebaseAnimation(this.animationQueue, response, this);
+    animationFactory.rebaseAnimation(this.animationQueue, response, this, this.gitVisuals);
   }
 };
 
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.commitStarter = function() {
 
     newCommit.set('commitMessage', msg);
   }
-  animationFactory.genCommitBirthAnimation(this.animationQueue, newCommit);
+  animationFactory.genCommitBirthAnimation(this.animationQueue, newCommit, this.gitVisuals);
 };
 
 GitEngine.prototype.commit = function() {
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.rebaseStarter = function() {
     return;
   }
 
-  animationFactory.rebaseAnimation(this.animationQueue, response, this);
+  animationFactory.rebaseAnimation(this.animationQueue, response, this, this.gitVisuals);
 };
 
 GitEngine.prototype.rebase = function(targetSource, currentLocation) {
@@ -948,7 +948,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.rebaseInteractive = function(targetSource, currentLocation)
 
     // finish the rebase crap and animate!
     var animationData = this.rebaseFinish(userSpecifiedRebase, {}, targetSource, currentLocation);
-    animationFactory.rebaseAnimation(this.animationQueue, animationData, this);
+    animationFactory.rebaseAnimation(this.animationQueue, animationData, this, this.gitVisuals);
     this.animationQueue.start();
   }, this);
 
@@ -1049,7 +1049,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.mergeStarter = function() {
 
   if (newCommit === undefined) {
     // its just a fast forwrard
-    animationFactory.refreshTree(this.animationQueue);
+    animationFactory.refreshTree(this.animationQueue, this.gitVisuals);
     return;
   }
 
@@ -1261,11 +1261,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.dispatch = function(command, callback) {
 
   // only add the refresh if we didn't do manual animations
   if (!this.animationQueue.get('animations').length && !this.animationQueue.get('defer')) {
-    this.animationQueue.add(new Animation({
-      closure: function() {
-        this.gitVisuals.refreshTree();
-      }
-    }));
+    animationFactory.refreshTree(this.animationQueue, this.gitVisuals);
   }
 
   // animation queue will call the callback when its done
diff --git a/src/visuals.js b/src/visuals.js
index ba005ca6..aa146ca5 100644
--- a/src/visuals.js
+++ b/src/visuals.js
@@ -20,12 +20,11 @@ var Visualization = Backbone.View.extend({
       branchCollection: this.branchCollection
     });
 
-    gitEngine = new GitEngine({
+    this.gitEngine = new GitEngine({
       collection: this.commitCollection,
       branches: this.branchCollection,
       gitVisuals: this.gitVisuals
     });
-    this.gitEngine = gitEngine;
     this.gitVisuals.assignGitEngine(this.gitEngine);
 
     // needs to be called before raphael ready
@@ -453,7 +452,6 @@ GitVisuals.prototype.addBranchFromEvent = function(branch, collection, index) {
 };
 
 GitVisuals.prototype.addBranch = function(branch, paperOverride) {
-  // TODO
   var visBranch = new VisBranch({
     branch: branch,
     gitVisuals: this,