California couple buy 'Up' house

Clinton and Lynette Hamblin of Petaluma, Calif., knew what they wanted in a house: They wanted a house like the one in the animated movie "Up," with a brightly colored exterior.

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When the Disney fanatics started their house search, they had no idea that such a house had been built.

They found their dream home during a trip to Utah to visit Clinton Hamblin's dying grandmother — a replica of the fanciful two-story home inhabited by Ed Asner's character in the film. The couple already had been considering a return to Utah, and the house sealed the deal. They're scheduled to close Jan. 4. The purchase price wasn't revealed, but the asking price had previously been reported as $399,000.

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"There’s Disney magic all through it," Lynette Hamblin told The Salt Lake Tribune.

The three brothers who own Bangerter Homes in Utah built the "Up" house earlier this year, with permission from Disney. The 2,800-square-foot house, in the Salt Lake City suburb of Herriman, has four bedrooms, plus a basement that wasn't part of the movie house. That should keep even the most adventurous owners from trying to fly it around with balloons.

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The house has been open to visitors since this summer and will be through the end of the year, decorated for the holidays. The builder has a photo gallery and videos here.

The Associated Press explained how meticulous the builders were in creating the "Up" house:

Their precision bordered on fanatical, as everyone involved scoured the movie for the smallest detail. They hired a woodcarver who could craft a wooden bird that matches one Carl repeatedly saves in the movie, and the furniture, fireplace, stairs, moulding and appliances were all custom-designed because they simply don’t exist in the real world.

But they also took care to make the house livable, creating a modern master bedroom and kitchen, rooms not seen in the movie, with a retro look. The two bedrooms in the basement also have a Disney touch: One features Disney princesses and the other is a replica of Andy's bedroom from "Toy Story."

Officials in Herriman estimated that about 45,000 people have come to see the house, enough to provide a boost to the town's economy.

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The Hamblins don't plan to change anything about the house, other than adding their own furniture. They say they hope to grow old there together, as Carl and Ellie did in the movie, which they said affected them deeply.

"That movie just made us grow as a couple," Lynette Hamblin told The Tribune. "Life is never over, and adventure is out there."