Since Walt Disney began his company in 1923 as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, it has undergone many name changes. In fact, it did not become The Walt Disney Company until 1986.
There have also been many spin off companies that Walt created or acquired to help manage and expand Disney operations.
One of the more notable companies is one most people have never heard of, Retlaw Enterprises.
Walt Disney was a fan of trains. He even built a rideable, small scale locomotive in his backyard. Retlaw Enterprises was started by Walt in 1950 to manage his homegrown railroad. At the time, he called it Walt Disney Miniature Railroad. It also acted as a sort of holding company for Walt and his family.
For those not versed in investment terminology, a holding company is a way for a company or partnership to retain managerial control of a bigger company and own its assets without having to bother with day-to-day operations.
Sound suspicious? These types of companies sometimes are. The SEC regularly investigates money laundering schemes of shell holding companies. Walt himself was even accused by a shareholder of skimming money from the company back in 1953. For a company being worth millions of dollars in a time where a hamburger costs a nickel, the allegations were not unexpected. However, the case was settled and no legal actions were brought again.
Walt Disney used the company to keep ownership within the family. He gifted shares to his heirs. This allowed his family to collect a small percentage of merchandise licensing fees and granted his family members rights to Walt’s own likeness, as well as the Walt Disney name. At least it did until 1981, when these rights were sold to Walt Disney Productions, now The Walt Disney Company. In exchange, the family members were given $46.2 million in stock, a large portion of which the family donated to a nonprofit, charitable organization.
During its prime, the company was responsible for much of the design and architecture of the Disney theme parks. Under various names like Walt Disney, Inc., WED Enterprises, and Walt Disney Imagineering, the company designed structures like the monorail and created animatronics in fan favorites such as the Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion. It also refined well-known imagineering techniques like forced perspective, which gives Cinderella castle the appearance of being taller and grander than its 189 feet height suggests.
Retlaw Enterprises no longer operates today. After selling off most of its assets by 2005, the last division of Retlaw Enterprises was transferred to the Walt Disney Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its mission is to safeguard the history and legacy of Walt Disney.
So how did Retlaw get its name? It’s “Walter” spelled backwards.