'Up' house recreated in Austin neighborhood

Austin is getting a little Pixar magic this Halloween, all thanks to one husband's labor of love. We went to see this in person last night. It's so cool. He built a life-size version of the house from Up to make his wife smile for their wedding anniversary. Fox 7's Libby Farrow is live in Circle C with the story behind this colorful creation. It is so impressive in person, Libby. Yes, good morning, Katie and Dave. It is absolutely adorable. And like you mentioned in the intro, this husband, he came out of retirement from doing these displays for Halloween for his wife because she wanted kind of an Up house in their yard. And that's exactly what he did. But there's more to the story behind this house. Take a look. Colorful balloons, a charming little house, and a whole lot of heart. This isn't just another Halloween display. It's a labor of love built by one Austin husband for his wife of 25 years. This year is our 25th wedding anniversary, and she, one night, was, I guess, flipping through something, and she saw a little advertisement for the Up movie, and she goes, let's build the Up house, I'd love to do that. I'm like, oh, all right. And so for her, I came out of retirement to build this just to, you know, make her smile and make her happy. Joel Pace is no stranger to building big things. He and his wife have created Halloween and Christmas props in the past, but retired from the hobby a couple of years ago. Using foam insulation board, long screws, and a little trial and error, Pace brought the iconic uphouse to life, right in his own yard. I found a 3D printed model of the uphouse, and then I just sat in the backyard and stared at it, and made lots of mistakes like I always do, but eventually it comes together, and once you paint it, it looks good. And while the house may be inspired by an animated movie, its message is something everyone can appreciate. Pace says he loves the playful details, from the roofline to characters like Carl, Doug, and Kevin. But his favorite part may be the chance to bring a little joy to the neighborhood. It's a little kind of a different Halloween display, but you know, there's a lot of gloom and doom sometimes, and sometimes it's nice just to put a smile on people's face. The display will be up through Halloween weekend before he takes it down. But this love story and the house that inspired it will get another chapter. He plans to donate the creation to the 37th Street Lights Project, where it'll become part of Austin's Christmas lights display. And after 25 years of marriage, Pace says the secret to making it last is pretty simple. Marry your best friend. And if you marry your best friend, it'll always be good. Good times, bad times. We've been through cancer twice, raising our son, shipping him off to college, moving him to New York City, all of that. You know, if you've got your best friend, it's easy. And yeah, you guys can come check out the house. It's over in the Circle C Ranch area off of 9201 Hopeland Drive. It's right behind me. Like I mentioned, it's going to be up for Halloween weekend. But if you can't see it this Halloween season, you can also see it during the holidays where he's going to donate the house to the 37th Street Lights District area. So, yes, this is such a cute little... A little, uh... Ode to love and his wife, but reporting live in Circle C, Libby Farrow, Fox 7 Austin News. Great story. I know. He's an overachiever, hasn't he? He's doing well. He's doing well. That's good stuff. Thanks, Libby.