diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d71fdac5..7151aef8 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
     "filesize": "^3.1.2",
     "flux": "~2.0.3",
     "linkifyjs": "^2.0.0-beta.4",
-    "modernizr": "^3.1.0",
     "matrix-js-sdk": "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-js-sdk.git#develop",
     "matrix-react-sdk": "^0.0.2",
     "modernizr": "^3.1.0",
@@ -39,7 +38,8 @@
     "react-dom": "^0.14.2",
     "react-gemini-scrollbar": "^2.0.1",
     "react-loader": "^1.4.0",
-    "sanitize-html": "^1.0.0"
+    "sanitize-html": "^1.0.0",
+    "velocity-animate": "^1.2.3"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "babel": "^5.8.23",
diff --git a/src/Velociraptor.js b/src/Velociraptor.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1a14381d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Velociraptor.js
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+var React = require('react');
+var ReactDom = require('react-dom');
+var Velocity = require('velocity-animate');
+
+/**
+ * The Velociraptor contains components and animates transitions with velocity.
+ * It will only pick up direct changes to properties ('left', currently), and so
+ * will not work for animating positional changes where the position is implicit
+ * from DOM order. This makes it a lot simpler and lighter: if you need fully
+ * automatic positional animation, look at react-shuffle or similar libraries.
+ */
+module.exports = React.createClass({
+    displayName: 'Velociraptor',
+
+    propTypes: {
+        children: React.PropTypes.array,
+        transition: React.PropTypes.object,
+        container: React.PropTypes.string
+    },
+
+    componentWillMount: function() {
+        this.children = {};
+        this.nodes = {};
+        var self = this;
+        React.Children.map(this.props.children, function(c) {
+            self.children[c.props.key] = c;
+        });
+    },
+
+    componentWillReceiveProps: function(nextProps) {
+        var self = this;
+        var oldChildren = this.children;
+        this.children = {};
+        React.Children.map(nextProps.children, function(c) {
+            if (oldChildren[c.key]) {
+                var old = oldChildren[c.key];
+                var oldNode = ReactDom.findDOMNode(self.nodes[old.key]);
+
+                if (oldNode.style.left != c.props.style.left) {
+                    Velocity(oldNode, { left: c.props.style.left }, self.props.transition);
+                }
+                self.children[c.key] = old;
+            } else {
+                self.children[c.key] = c;
+            }
+        });
+    },
+
+    collectNode: function(k, node) {
+        if (
+            this.nodes[k] === undefined &&
+            node.props.enterTransition &&
+            Object.keys(node.props.enterTransition).length
+        ) {
+            var domNode = ReactDom.findDOMNode(node);
+            var transitions = node.props.enterTransition;
+            var transitionOpts = node.props.enterTransitionOpts;
+            if (!Array.isArray(transitions)) {
+                transitions = [ transitions ];
+                transitionOpts = [ transitionOpts ];
+            }
+            for (var i = 0; i < transitions.length; ++i) {
+                Velocity(domNode, transitions[i], transitionOpts[i]);
+                console.log("enter: "+JSON.stringify(transitions[i]));
+            }
+        }
+        this.nodes[k] = node;
+    },
+
+    render: function() {
+        var self = this;
+        var childList = Object.keys(this.children).map(function(k) {
+            return React.cloneElement(self.children[k], {
+                ref: self.collectNode.bind(self, self.children[k].key)
+            });
+        });
+        return (
+            <span>
+                {childList}
+            </span>
+        );
+    },
+});
diff --git a/src/skins/vector/views/atoms/MemberAvatar.js b/src/skins/vector/views/atoms/MemberAvatar.js
index e7d6b65d..9d632d72 100644
--- a/src/skins/vector/views/atoms/MemberAvatar.js
+++ b/src/skins/vector/views/atoms/MemberAvatar.js
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 initial = this.props.member.name[1].toUpperCase();
          
             return (
-                <span className="mx_MemberAvatar" style={this.props.style}>
+                <span className="mx_MemberAvatar" {...this.props}>
                     <span className="mx_MemberAvatar_initial"
                           style={{ fontSize: (this.props.width * 0.75) + "px",
                                    width: this.props.width + "px",
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             <img className="mx_MemberAvatar mx_MemberAvatar_image" src={this.state.imageUrl}
                 onError={this.onError}
                 width={this.props.width} height={this.props.height}
-                style={this.props.style}
+                {...this.props}
             />
         );
     }
diff --git a/src/skins/vector/views/molecules/EventTile.js b/src/skins/vector/views/molecules/EventTile.js
index 695240d0..e99f227f 100644
--- a/src/skins/vector/views/molecules/EventTile.js
+++ b/src/skins/vector/views/molecules/EventTile.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 'use strict';
 
 var React = require('react');
+var ReactDom = require('react-dom');
 var classNames = require("classnames");
 
 var sdk = require('matrix-react-sdk')
@@ -27,6 +28,8 @@ var ContextualMenu = require('../../../../ContextualMenu');
 
 var TextForEvent = require('matrix-react-sdk/lib/TextForEvent');
 
+var Velociraptor = require('../../../../Velociraptor');
+
 var eventTileTypes = {
     'm.room.message': 'molecules.MessageTile',
     'm.room.member' : 'molecules.EventAsTextTile',
@@ -58,6 +61,10 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         return {menu: false};
     },
 
+    componentDidUpdate: function() {
+        this.readAvatarRect = ReactDom.findDOMNode(this.readAvatarNode).getBoundingClientRect();
+    },
+
     onEditClicked: function(e) {
         var MessageContextMenu = sdk.getComponent('molecules.MessageContextMenu');
         var buttonRect = e.target.getBoundingClientRect()
@@ -93,13 +100,42 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
         var left = 0;
 
+        var transitionOpts = {
+            duration: 1000,
+            easing: 'linear'
+        };
+
         for (var i = 0; i < receipts.length; ++i) {
             var member = room.getMember(receipts[i].userId);
+
+            // Using react refs here would mean both getting Velociraptor to expose
+            // them and making them scoped to the whole RoomView. Not impossible, but
+            // getElementById seems simpler at least for a first cut.
+            var oldAvatarDomNode = document.getElementById('mx_readAvatar'+member.userId);
+            var startStyle = { left: left+'px' };
+            var enterTransitions = [];
+            var enterTransitionOpts = [];
+            if (oldAvatarDomNode && this.readAvatarRect) {
+                var oldRect = oldAvatarDomNode.getBoundingClientRect();
+                startStyle.top = oldRect.top - this.readAvatarRect.top;
+
+                if (oldAvatarDomNode.style.left !== '0px') {
+                    startStyle.left = oldAvatarDomNode.style.left;
+                    enterTransitions.push({ left: left+'px' });
+                    enterTransitionOpts.push(transitionOpts);
+                }
+                enterTransitions.push({ top: '0px' });
+                enterTransitionOpts.push(transitionOpts);
+            }
+
             // add to the start so the most recent is on the end (ie. ends up rightmost)
             avatars.unshift(
                 <MemberAvatar key={member.userId} member={member}
                     width={14} height={14} resizeMethod="crop"
-                    style={ {left: left} }
+                    style={startStyle}
+                    enterTransition={enterTransitions}
+                    enterTransitionOpts={enterTransitionOpts}
+                    id={'mx_readAvatar'+member.userId}
                 />
             );
             left -= 15;
@@ -113,12 +149,18 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             remText = <span className="mx_EventTile_readAvatarRemainder" style={ {left: left} }>+{ remainder }</span>;
         }
 
-        return <span className="mx_EventTile_readAvatars">
+        return <span className="mx_EventTile_readAvatars" ref={this.collectReadAvatarNode}>
             {remText}
-            {avatars}
+            <Velociraptor transition={transitionOpts}>
+                {avatars}
+            </Velociraptor>
         </span>;
     },
 
+    collectReadAvatarNode: function(node) {
+        this.readAvatarNode = node;
+    },
+
     render: function() {
         var MessageTimestamp = sdk.getComponent('atoms.MessageTimestamp');
         var SenderProfile = sdk.getComponent('molecules.SenderProfile');