02-26-2014: Netflix announced the acquisition of the documentary film "Print The Legend"
Over the years it has achieved legendary status itself.
On February 26, 2014, Netflix announced the acquisition of the documentary film "Print The Legend", which won the Special Jury Recognition Award for Editing & Storytelling in the Documentary Feature Competition at the SXSW Film Festival in 2014. The film told the stories of two startups from the then-emerging desktop 3D printing industry—MakerBot and Formlabs—focusing on their leaders, Bre Pettis and Max Lobovsky. The film also features Avi Reichental, then-CEO of 3D Systems, and the infamous Cody Wilson, the creator of DEFCAD, an organization promoting 3D-printed firearms.
"Print The Legend" premiered on September 26, 2014—exactly two years after the launch of Formlabs' famous Kickstarter campaign, which the film documents.
The documentary presents the birth of desktop 3D printing industry through the lens of two key figures—Bre Pettis, co-founder of MakerBot, and Max Lobovsky, co-founder of Formlabs. The strength of the film lies in showing how different their approaches to 3D printing technology were, highlighting two contrasting paths of company development. Their stories unfold simultaneously but are not directly connected, only occasionally intersecting at key events.
Bre Pettis, compared in Print The Legend to Steve Jobs, is portrayed from the start as a charismatic leader who generated massive hype around consumer 3D printing. Initially based on open-source principles, combined with excitement and strong belief in the project, MakerBot attracted crowds and achieved rapid success. In contrast, Max Lobovsky is depicted as a reserved, shy MIT student who sacrificed his studies at one of the world's best universities to launch his Form 1 3D printer project.
The film also shows difficult moments—the split within MakerBot and the departure of its other co-founders due to the company abandoning open-source in favor of a closed, Apple-like ecosystem. There is also the Formlabs patent infringement lawsuit, filed by 3D Systems. Finally, the documentary covers Cody Wilson’s controversial vision of 3D-printed firearms, which at the time was seen as a major threat.
In summary, Print The Legend is a true time capsule, showcasing how 3D printing was perceived a decade ago and what expectations surrounded it. Today, the situation is vastly different. Bre Pettis is no longer with MakerBot, and the company itself has been largely marginalized. The same goes for Cody Wilson, who additionally faced a sexual assault charge and was sentenced to seven years of probation. Avi Reichental has also faded into the background, while Max Lobovsky is the only one who has fully realized his potential, turning Formlabs into one of the biggest 3D printing companies in the world.
In one of the scenes from Print The Legend, Lobovsky states that he wished Pettis could present his project because he lacked the same charisma. Time has shown that to become a unicorn, one does not need Bre’s charisma, but rather humility and hard work, which ultimately bring results.
Source: www.prnewswire.com
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