diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/CMakeLists.txt b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/CMakeLists.txt
index cb226be7ac1..cceac9a5a40 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -32,3 +32,4 @@ target_link_libraries(react_renderer_animated
 )
 target_compile_reactnative_options(react_renderer_animated PRIVATE)
 target_compile_options(react_renderer_animated PRIVATE -Wpedantic)
+target_compile_definitions(react_renderer_animated PRIVATE RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND)
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.cpp b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.cpp
index 0e797af126e..a71cf20763d 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.cpp
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.cpp
@@ -33,9 +33,12 @@
 #include <react/renderer/animated/nodes/TrackingAnimatedNode.h>
 #include <react/renderer/animated/nodes/TransformAnimatedNode.h>
 #include <react/renderer/animated/nodes/ValueAnimatedNode.h>
-#include <react/renderer/animationbackend/AnimatedPropsBuilder.h>
 #include <react/renderer/core/EventEmitter.h>
 
+#ifdef RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND
+#include <react/renderer/animationbackend/AnimatedPropsBuilder.h>
+#endif
+
 namespace facebook::react {
 
 // Global function pointer for getting current time. Current time
@@ -515,11 +518,13 @@ NativeAnimatedNodesManager::ensureEventEmitterListener() noexcept {
 
 void NativeAnimatedNodesManager::startRenderCallbackIfNeeded() {
   if (ReactNativeFeatureFlags::useSharedAnimatedBackend()) {
+#ifdef RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND
     if (auto animationBackend =
             std::static_pointer_cast<AnimationBackend>(animationBackend_)) {
       animationBackend->start(
           [this](float /*f*/) { return pullAnimationMutations(); });
     }
+#endif
 
     return;
   }
@@ -887,6 +892,7 @@ void NativeAnimatedNodesManager::schedulePropsCommit(
   }
 }
 
+#ifdef RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND
 AnimationMutations NativeAnimatedNodesManager::pullAnimationMutations() {
   if (!ReactNativeFeatureFlags::useSharedAnimatedBackend()) {
     return {};
@@ -1005,6 +1011,7 @@ AnimationMutations NativeAnimatedNodesManager::pullAnimationMutations() {
   }
   return mutations;
 }
+#endif
 
 void NativeAnimatedNodesManager::onRender() {
   if (ReactNativeFeatureFlags::useSharedAnimatedBackend()) {
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.h b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.h
index 4aead3b39ed..90b50923212 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.h
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManager.h
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@
 #include <react/debug/flags.h>
 #include <react/renderer/animated/EventEmitterListener.h>
 #include <react/renderer/animated/event_drivers/EventAnimationDriver.h>
+#ifdef RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND
 #include <react/renderer/animationbackend/AnimationBackend.h>
+#endif
 #include <react/renderer/core/ReactPrimitives.h>
 #include <react/renderer/uimanager/UIManagerAnimationBackend.h>
 #include <chrono>
@@ -114,7 +116,9 @@ class NativeAnimatedNodesManager {
 
   void setAnimatedNodeOffset(Tag tag, double offset);
 
+#ifdef RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND
   AnimationMutations pullAnimationMutations();
+#endif
 
 #pragma mark - Drivers
 
diff --git a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManagerProvider.cpp b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManagerProvider.cpp
index 7b040da44b0..8f45b416490 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManagerProvider.cpp
+++ b/packages/react-native/ReactCommon/react/renderer/animated/NativeAnimatedNodesManagerProvider.cpp
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@
 #include <react/featureflags/ReactNativeFeatureFlags.h>
 #include <react/renderer/animated/MergedValueDispatcher.h>
 #include <react/renderer/animated/internal/AnimatedMountingOverrideDelegate.h>
+#ifdef RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND
 #include <react/renderer/animationbackend/AnimationBackend.h>
+#endif
 #include <react/renderer/uimanager/UIManagerBinding.h>
 
 namespace facebook::react {
@@ -66,6 +68,7 @@ NativeAnimatedNodesManagerProvider::getOrCreate(
         };
 
     if (ReactNativeFeatureFlags::useSharedAnimatedBackend()) {
+#ifdef RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND
       // TODO: this should be initialized outside of animated, but for now it
       // was convenient to do it here
       animationBackend_ = std::make_shared<AnimationBackend>(
@@ -74,6 +77,7 @@ NativeAnimatedNodesManagerProvider::getOrCreate(
           std::move(directManipulationCallback),
           std::move(fabricCommitCallback),
           uiManager);
+#endif
 
       nativeAnimatedNodesManager_ =
           std::make_shared<NativeAnimatedNodesManager>(animationBackend_);
diff --git a/private/react-native-fantom/runner/executables/tester.js b/private/react-native-fantom/runner/executables/tester.js
index bc26e39109f..2e173a41de9 100644
--- a/private/react-native-fantom/runner/executables/tester.js
+++ b/private/react-native-fantom/runner/executables/tester.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {NATIVE_BUILD_OUTPUT_PATH} from '../paths';
 import {
   getBuckModesForPlatform,
   getBuckOptionsForHermes,
+  getConfigForAnimationBackend,
   getDebugInfoFromCommandResult,
   runBuck2,
   runBuck2Sync,
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ export function build(options: TesterOptions): void {
       'build',
       ...getBuckModesForPlatform(options.isOptimizedMode),
       ...getBuckOptionsForHermes(options.hermesVariant),
+      ...getConfigForAnimationBackend(),
       FANTOM_TESTER_BUCK_TARGET,
       '--out',
       tmpPath,
@@ -94,6 +96,7 @@ export function run(
         'run',
         ...getBuckModesForPlatform(options.isOptimizedMode),
         ...getBuckOptionsForHermes(options.hermesVariant),
+        ...getConfigForAnimationBackend(),
         FANTOM_TESTER_BUCK_TARGET,
         '--',
         ...args,
diff --git a/private/react-native-fantom/runner/utils.js b/private/react-native-fantom/runner/utils.js
index 25cdb319bcf..8271d77dc4e 100644
--- a/private/react-native-fantom/runner/utils.js
+++ b/private/react-native-fantom/runner/utils.js
@@ -104,6 +104,11 @@ export function getBuckModesForPlatform(
   return ['@//xplat/mode/react-native/granite', osPlatform];
 }
 
+// TODO: T240293839 Remove when we get rid of RN_USE_ANIMATION_BACKEND preprocessor flag
+export function getConfigForAnimationBackend(): $ReadOnlyArray<string> {
+  return ['-c rn.use_animationbackend=true'];
+}
+
 export type AsyncCommandResult = {
   originalCommand: string,
   childProcess: ReturnType<typeof spawn>,