My 3 Favourite Movies Where 3D Printing Carried the Show

Hello children! Happy Wednesday. 

Don’t you love it when movies predict things? I do. And 3D printing was one such thing. 

Long before most of us owned a spool of filament, movie characters were scanning diamonds, fabricating gadgets, and casually printing superhero armor in their spare time.

These films didn’t just use 3D printers as props. They made them central to the story.

Ocean’s 8 (2018): The Perfect Crime Has Layer Lines

In the world of cinematic heists, there’s smooth talking, glamorous outfits, and one completely unrealistic depiction of how fast 3D printers work.

Sandra Bullock’s crew scans a priceless Cartier necklace using smart glasses, then prints a perfect replica overnight (and – spoiler alert – many others). Tammy (played by Sarah Paulson) calls in her trusty printer like it’s just another power tool. 

Was it scientifically accurate? Not even close. Was it satisfying to watch a multi-million-dollar heist hinge on a MakerBot? Absolutely.

(Go watch Ocean’s 8 if you haven’t yet it’s seriously the best movie ever.) 

Descendants 2 (2017): Disney Villains Discover CAD

Yes, even the kids from the Isle of the Lost had a 3D printer. Somewhere between the singing and sword fighting, a group of villain kids whips up a copy of the Fairy Godmother’s wand to save Prince Ben from Uma and her crew. 

… And a mini Chad action figure. And a crown for him to wear… yeah those kids knew how to use a printer. 

It’s one of those moments that perfectly captures how mainstream 3D printing quietly became. Disney didn’t frame it as “technology”; it was just another kind of magic. A glitter-coated printer in the corner, spitting out destiny in ABS plastic.

Big Hero 6 (2014): Emotional Support Printer

And here we are with the OG. Hiro Hamada is my first memory of someone cool using a 3D printer. Every invention he built—from Baymax’s armor to his microbots—came straight from the 3D printer in his garage. He 3D printed everybody’s everything. He 3D printed the whole darn movie. The movie that told a generation of kids that engineering could be heroic, that tinkering could save lives, and that 3D printers belong right there in the thick of it, next to your best friend, your dead brother, your aunt, and your robot nurse. 

Final Thoughts

3D printers have played thieves, heroes, and magicians in film and honestly, they’ve nailed every role. What used to be fantasy is now sitting on workbenches everywhere, humming quietly as it prints parts, tools, and dreams.

Maybe that’s why these stories stick. They weren’t about tech. They were about creation.

And, for once, Hollywood wasn’t exaggerating. 

That’s a wrap! Go spice up your garage and start making mind-controlled mini robots that look like grains of rice, which will then be stolen by your brother’s university professor because he’s grieving (VERY badly, might I add) the death of his daughter. 

Go go go! Shoo! And tell Baymax I said hi.