Urkel Saves Santa: The 90s nerd icon returns in the trailer for a new animated Christmas movie

Last Updated on November 22, 2023

Just like the Winslow family on Family Matters, whenever you think you’re clear of Steven Q. Urkel, he’ll burst right through the door and back into our lives. Warner Bros. Animation has released the trailer for an all-new animated holiday adventure that continues the adventures of one of the biggest sensations of the 90s with Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie! While legacy sequels dominate pop culture in an effort to recapture the magic of certain IP, for someone like Steve Urkel, who is immortalized as a nerdy teenager, to bring him back in an animated project helps cover a lot of logistical hurdles. The trailer has been released, courtesy of ComicBook.com.

The synopsis reads,
“The holiday season is here, and brilliant but accident-prone super genius Steve Urkel has only one mission: to make the holidays the best they can be for everyone! However, things are off to a not so merry start after he ruins a celebration at his local shopping mall and humiliates the department store Santa. Hoping to make things right, Steve invents a device that helps people spread holiday cheer but it only manages to make things worse. Using his big brain and even bigger heart, it’s up to Steve to help the city rediscover the holiday spirit.”

Jaleel White returns in his defining role, and while it’s obvious he has a very mature voice now, he still easily slips back into the role like a comfortable pair of pull-up jeans on suspenders. White is joined by the voice talents of Nicole Byer, Roy Wood Jr. and Kym Whitley. It’s not clear when this story takes place in relation to the timeline of the series, and the trailer seemingly omits the Winslow family. The animated film was originally set to premiere on HBO Max in 2022, but in all the shifting around at Warner Bros., the decision was made to release it straight-to-video and Cartoon Network. Warner Bros. also recently teased the premiere of another animated holiday film, Merry Little Batman.

Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie! is produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The film is co-directed by Bryan Newton, who also serves as supervising producer, Richard Pose and Jojo Ramos Patrick and written by Wyatt Cenac who also serves as executive producer. Jaleel White serves as producer. Robert L. Boyett and Sam Register serve as executive producers.