diff --git a/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes/drawable_shape.py b/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes/drawable_shape.py
index 2a9b1472..4bdc17f9 100644
--- a/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes/drawable_shape.py
+++ b/pygame_gui/core/drawable_shapes/drawable_shape.py
@@ -148,6 +148,8 @@ def __init__(self,
 
         self.theming = theming_parameters
         self.containing_rect = containing_rect.copy()
+        self.dynamic_width = True if self.containing_rect.width == -1 else False
+        self.dynamic_height = True if self.containing_rect.height == -1 else False
         self.text_view_rect: Optional[pygame.Rect] = None
 
         self.shadow_width = 0
@@ -207,7 +209,7 @@ def __init__(self,
         self.only_text_changed = False
 
     def _evaluate_contents_for_containing_rect(self):
-        if self.containing_rect.width == -1:
+        if self.dynamic_width:
             # check to see if we have text and a font, this won't work with HTML
             # text - throw a warning?
             # What we really need to to is process the html text layout by this
@@ -230,7 +232,7 @@ def _evaluate_contents_for_containing_rect(self):
                 self.text_view_rect.width = text_width
                 self.text_box_layout.view_rect.width = self.text_view_rect.width
                 self.containing_rect.width = final_width
-        if self.containing_rect.height == -1:
+        if self.dynamic_height:
             if self.text_box_layout is not None:
                 text_height = self.text_box_layout.layout_rect.height
 
@@ -490,10 +492,17 @@ def build_text_layout(self):
             self.text_view_rect = self.containing_rect.copy()
             self.text_view_rect.x = 0
             self.text_view_rect.y = 0
-            if self.text_view_rect.width != -1:
-                self.text_view_rect.width -= ((total_text_buffer * 2) + (2 * horiz_padding))
-            if self.text_view_rect.height != -1:
-                self.text_view_rect.height -= ((total_text_buffer * 2) + (2 * vert_padding))
+            if self.dynamic_width:
+                self.text_view_rect.width = -1
+            else:
+                self.text_view_rect.width = max(0, self.text_view_rect.width -
+                                                ((total_text_buffer * 2) + (2 * horiz_padding)))
+
+            if self.dynamic_height:
+                self.text_view_rect.height = -1
+            else:
+                self.text_view_rect.height = max(0, self.text_view_rect.height -
+                                                 ((total_text_buffer * 2) + (2 * vert_padding)))
 
             text_actual_area_rect = self.text_view_rect.copy()
             text_actual_area_rect.x = total_text_buffer + horiz_padding
diff --git a/pygame_gui/core/text/text_box_layout.py b/pygame_gui/core/text/text_box_layout.py
index 9afec5ab..877bfa52 100644
--- a/pygame_gui/core/text/text_box_layout.py
+++ b/pygame_gui/core/text/text_box_layout.py
@@ -50,14 +50,16 @@ def __init__(self,
 
         self.expand_width = False
         if self.layout_rect.width == -1:
-            self.dynamic_width = True
             self.layout_rect.width = 0
             self.expand_width = True
             for rect in self.input_data_rect_queue:
                 self.layout_rect.width += rect.width
+
+        if self.view_rect.width == -1:
+            self.dynamic_width = True
         else:
             self.dynamic_width = False
-        if self.layout_rect.height == -1:
+        if self.view_rect.height == -1:
             self.dynamic_height = True
         else:
             self.dynamic_height = False
diff --git a/pygame_gui/core/text/text_line_chunk.py b/pygame_gui/core/text/text_line_chunk.py
index 108ba440..3de8f0c2 100644
--- a/pygame_gui/core/text/text_line_chunk.py
+++ b/pygame_gui/core/text/text_line_chunk.py
@@ -109,9 +109,9 @@ def _handle_dimensions(self, font, max_dimensions, text):
         text_width = self._text_render_width(text, font) + (2 * text_shadow_width)
         text_height = text_rect.height
         if max_dimensions is not None:
-            if max_dimensions[0] != -1:
+            if not (max_dimensions[0] == -1 or max_dimensions[1] == -1):
+                # we don't have dynamic maximum dimensions so use maximum dimensions for both
                 text_width = min(max_dimensions[0], text_width)
-            if max_dimensions[1] != -1:
                 text_height = min(max_dimensions[1], text_height)
         return text_height, text_rect, text_width
 
@@ -567,9 +567,9 @@ def insert_text(self, input_text: str, index: int):
         text_width = self._text_render_width(self.text, self.font)
         text_height = text_rect.height
         if self.max_dimensions is not None:
-            if self.max_dimensions[0] != -1:
+            if not (self.max_dimensions[0] == -1 or self.max_dimensions[1] == -1):
+                # we don't have dynamic maximum dimensions so use maximum dimensions for both
                 text_width = min(self.max_dimensions[0], text_width)
-            if self.max_dimensions[1] != -1:
                 text_height = min(self.max_dimensions[1], text_height)
 
         self.size = (text_width, text_height) # noqa pylint: disable=attribute-defined-outside-init; pylint getting confused
@@ -592,9 +592,9 @@ def delete_letter_at_index(self, index):
         text_width = self._text_render_width(self.text, self.font)
         text_height = text_rect.height
         if self.max_dimensions is not None:
-            if self.max_dimensions[0] != -1:
+            if not (self.max_dimensions[0] == -1 or self.max_dimensions[1] == -1):
+                # we don't have dynamic maximum dimensions so use maximum dimensions for both
                 text_width = min(self.max_dimensions[0], text_width)
-            if self.max_dimensions[1] != -1:
                 text_height = min(self.max_dimensions[1], text_height)
 
         self.size = (text_width, text_height)  # noqa pylint: disable=attribute-defined-outside-init; pylint getting confused