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Jemaine Clement also returns to the story as the CGI-version of the crab Tamatoa, who is known for his love of all things shiny. “Moana” will also welcome in new faces to bring the story to life, including Laga’aia, who is making her film debut.

As for those who’ve grown to love the animated film’s chaotic animal sidekicks, you need not worry, as even Pua and Heihei will be returning to tag along on Moana’s journey across the sea.

Here is a look at the key characters and the actors who bring them to life:

• Moana (Catherine Laga’aia)

  

  After Auli’i Cravalho’s angelic voice introduced the world to “How Far I’ll Go” ten years ago, newcomer Catherine Laga’aia leads this new take and appears as the brave titular character who learns to embrace her love of the sea. Born in Sydney, Australia, the 19-year-old breakout star previously appeared in three episodes of “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” as a young version of Candy, the character played by Frankie Adams. Laga’aia grew up with eight siblings; her father, Jay Lagaʻaia, is also a performer, appearing in Star Wars films like “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” as Tycho Celchu.

• Maui (Dwayne Johnson)

  

  Dwayne Johnson returns to play the cocky, shapeshifting demigod Maui, who accompanies Moana on her journey to return Te Fiti’s heart and save the island of Motunui. The ten-time WWE world champion quickly became a major blockbuster star through roles in the “Jumanji” films, “Fast & Furious” and “Black Adam.” In recent years, he was in the awards conversation for director Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” and recently set a lead role in “Sing Sing” director’s new film, “Free Byrd.”

• Gramma Tala (Rena Owen)

  

  Gramma Tala, played by Rena Owen, is the heart of “Moana” as both Moana’s grandmother and the storyteller who helps the Kakamora tribe reconnect with their roots. Owen, who was born in New Zealand, has worked with the likes of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, appearing in “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” voicing Taun We in “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” and portraying Nee Alavar in “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” She recently reprised her role as Taun We in a 2021 episode of “Star Wars: The Bad Batch.”

• Chief Tui (John Tui)

  

  John Tui (“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story”) takes up the mantle of Chief Tui, Moana’s protective father and leader of the people of Motunui. Although encouraging of Moana following in his footsteps as chief, he is wary of her desire to explore the ocean beyond their island home. Temuera Morrison (“Aquaman,” “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”) originated the role, with longtime Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborator Christopher Jackson (“Hamilton,” “In the Heights”) providing the singing voice for Chief Tui in the animated film. 

• Sina (Frankie Adams)

  

  Moana’s perceptive mother, Sina both understands her daughter’s longing for the water but wants to protect her from danger. Samoan New Zealand actor Frankie Adams (“The Expanse,” “Shortland Street”) steps into the role, taking over from Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Boulevard,” “The X Factor”) in the original.

• Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement)

  

  Jemaine Clement (“Rio,” “What We Do in the Shadows”) returns as the glitzy king crab Tamatoa, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else delivering the catchy song “Shiny” in the same way. The jewel-encrusted crustacean harbors a grudge against Maui and fiercely guards his shiny collection, including the demigod’s fishhook after it falls into his lair.

• Pua the Pig

  

  Moana’s trusty, if a little skittish, pet pig Pua would follow her anywhere, even if he’s a little unsure of the ocean. The live-action production used a mix of real animals and animatronics to bring Moana’s sidekick to life. The animated Pua was voiced using a combination of real pig vocalizations and sound effects from voice actor Frank Welker, whose long list of credits includes Fred Jones in “Scooby Doo,” Pegasus in “Hercules,” Cri-Kee in “Mulan” and Abu, Rajah and the Cave of Wonders in “Aladdin.”

• Heihei the Rooster

  

  Heihei is a constantly confused rooster who accidentally joins Moana on her quest after seeking refuge in her boat. Always unaware of what’s happening around him, Heihei is simply along for the ride.

• Kakamora

  

  The Kakamora are hostile nomads floating across the sea who are easily identified by their armor made of coconut. Always ready to engage in battle, they are small but dangerous, especially when the hundreds of them band together.

• Te Kā

  

  Te Kā is the giant, dangerous demon of earth and fire Moana must get past to successfully restore the heart of Te Fiti. Gramma Tala first tells Moana the story of Te Kā, who awoke when Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti. While battling the demigod, the heart was ultimately lost in the sea, which only infuriated Te Kā more.

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Always there he may be, but Merino himself feared he would not be fit enough to play at this World Cup.

"The fact of being here a few months ago was unthinkable," Merino said after the Portugal win.

"Now I am, as I said before, at the highest point, enjoying one of the happiest moments of my career.

"Now I remember all those bad moments, all the people who have supported me, all the people who have pushed me when even I sometimes found it difficult to believe I could be here."

Merino's heroics will be a familiar sight for Arsenal fans, with the 30-year-old having done similar at the Gunners.

Traditionally a midfielder, his height has seen him utilised as a striker by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, and the first time he was used in such a role was when he memorably came off the bench to score twice against Leicester in a 2-0 win in February last year.

"Merino is just one of those players who arrives at the right time, at the right moment in big games," former England striker Wayne Rooney said on Match of the Day.

De la Fuente added: "He can be the best striker and the best midfielder because of his understanding of the game. He interprets the game perfectly.

"He is committed, he is generous, he is happy to do the work."

This has been a tournament where the big names have stepped up with Argentina great Lionel Messi, France's Mbappe, England's Harry Kane and Erling Haaland of Norway all playing leading roles for their respective teams.

However Spain and Barecelona's teenager star - Lamine Yamal - is yet to truly light up the stage to the extent he did during the national team's successful Euro 2024 campaign.

While the other names are battling it out for the Golden Boot, Lamine Yamal has played six games at this World Cup and scored just one goal.

At times at the tournament he has made the wrong decision, opting to shoot when a pass would have been better, but that is not to say he is not contributing as his dribbling ability and pace helps to make space for players like Merino.

"You'll have Lionel Messi making the wrong decisions at times," Rooney added.

"Let's remember he came into this tournament injured, so he is still finding his rhythm in the game.

"Where he is effective is when he takes the ball, he attracts players towards him, and he creates space for his team-mates." %!s()

“Earlier this week, we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by a-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference,” the company said in a statement Friday. “Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We’ve heard feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available.

The feature had sparked outrage from Hollywood power players, including CAA, which said in a statement Wednesday that “no one’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent. “

SAG-AFTRA followed with a statement of its own, saying that “anything other than a clear and conspicuous OPT-IN for these types of uses of Instagram users’ images is unacceptable, and an utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use.”

It seems Meta has heard those concerns in dropping the functionality.

After the news was unveiled Friday, CAA released a statement commending the decision, which read, “We commend Meta for its swift decision to remove the Muse Image feature. Putting individual rights and consent at the forefront is essential to building responsible technology. We look forward to ongoing conversations to ensure creators stay protected as technology evolves.”

The backtrack bears a striking similarity to OpenAI’s backlash to the launch of its Sora app last year, which launched with limited IP protections, resulting in a slew of infringing characters, including many recognizable celebrities and figures, before backing away a few days later and cracking down on it. OpenAI, ultimately, nixed Sora as it shifted its strategy toward enterprise customers.

July 10, 6:18 p.m. Updated with CAA’s statement. %!s()

In a statement to Business Insider, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets."

"We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere," the spokesperson said.

Here are the biggest allegations.

OpenAI allegedly exploited an Apple security bug

According to the complaint, Apple's investigation began after former employee Chang Liu left for OpenAI in January. Apple alleges Liu failed to return a company laptop and later discovered he could still access Apple's internal systems because of what the company describes as an authentication bug.

Rather than reporting the issue, Apple said that Liu downloaded dozens of confidential engineering files while working at OpenAI, including documents related to unreleased products, technical specifications, presentations, and manufacturing processes.

Apple also alleges Liu encouraged another Apple engineer who was interviewing at OpenAI to study confidential Apple materials ahead of her interviews and advised her how to avoid attracting attention from Apple's security team while copying files. The complaint says that the two moved conversations to a private messaging app to avoid detection.

Apple says OpenAI turned interviews into intelligence-gathering sessions

Apple also accuses OpenAI of systematically using its job recruitment process to obtain trade secrets. The buzzy AI company, which has filed the initial paperwork in a lead-up to an initial public offering, has become one of the most in-demand employers in tech. Amid the influx of talent, several hardware engineers at Apple have decamped to the AI juggernaut.

The lawsuit claims that Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan, a former Apple vice president who spent 24 years at the company, asked Apple job candidates to bring physical components for "show and tell" sessions during interviews. OpenAI employees would also ask candidates for prototypes and information about vendors, the complaint alleges.

One then-Apple employee screenshotted and downloaded files from a "highly confidential Apple project," the lawsuit says, alleging that Tan later asked about that project during the interview.

"OpenAI's recruiting practices suggest it hires these individuals at least in part because of the confidential Apple-specific knowledge and expertise they have and could improperly obtain," the complaint says.

Apple says the misconduct went all the way to OpenAI leadership

Apple says it raised its concerns with OpenAI earlier this year and asked the company to investigate whether Apple's confidential information had entered its business.

According to the complaint, OpenAI never responded, prompting Apple to continue its investigation before filing suit on Friday.

"This is the tip of the iceberg," the complaint reads. "Apple lacks visibility into what's been happening behind closed doors at OpenAI, where such misconduct is normalized and exemplified by leadership."

"This much is clear, however: at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple's trade secrets and confidential information," the complaint continued. "As a natural result, OpenAI's nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets."

Apple said it is "left with no choice" but to seek damages in an amount to be determined at trial, and court orders preventing OpenAI and the individual defendants from possessing or using Apple's trade secrets.

The suit marks a dramatic escalation in what had been one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile AI partnerships, following Apple's integration of ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence in 2024. The relationship has frayed as OpenAI ramped up its own consumer hardware ambitions by hiring former Apple executives and engineers.

Apple's suit isn't the only high-profile claim that OpenAI has engaged in dishonest business practices.

The ChatGPT creator is also embroiled in a legal battle with The New York Times over claims that it allowed its chatbot to use copyrighted material to train its systems.

Elon Musk also previously filed suit against OpenAI, alleging that CEO Sam Altman and the company's president, Greg Brockman, "stole" the original OpenAI nonprofit and unjustly enriched themselves by changing it to a for-profit model. A jury handed OpenAI a legal victory in May, concluding that Musk had missed the three-year statute of limitations to sue.

Tan, Liu, and representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

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Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert is a senior reporter on Business Insider's West Coast team. When she's not writing about trending business and tech news, from the latest supply chain snarls or advancements in AI, she covers the food and restaurant industries, specifically companies such as Starbucks and McDonald's.Some of her prior areas of focus have included coverage of the Supreme Court and emerging technologies such as quantum computing.Katherine has worked on award-nominated projects and has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC, CNN, and other outlets to discuss her reporting.Prior to joining Business Insider, she covered retail, hospitality, and nonprofits at the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and received a master's degree in investigative reporting from the University of Southern California.Reach outDo you have feedback or a story tip? Contact Katherine on Signal at byktl.50, or email her at [email protected] her on Twitter and Instagram @scrawlgirl.Some of her recent scoops, exclusives, and original stories include: Starbucks set up a new office. It's a 5-minute drive from the CEO's California home.Inside Starbucks' crackdown on cup notesEndless Shrimp was Red Lobster's rock bottom. Now it's clawing back.Chipotle's new PAC signals a change in how the company engages in politicsKFC lost its footing in the Chicken Wars. Now it's gunning for a 'Kentucky Fried Comeback.'A few other highlights include: Clarence Thomas raised him 'as a son.' Now he's facing 25-plus years on weapons and drug charges.Call her Ivanka Kushner'Maybe I'll just resign:' Federal workers react to DOGE productivity emailSpaceX launches cause late-night booms that rattle windows, set off car alarms, and may damage property. Locals are pushing back.The US-China tech race is moving from chips to the raw materials they're made of

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Stephen is a Senior Tech Reporter at Business Insider, covering OpenAI, Anthropic and the ecosystem around the leading artificial intelligence companies.Previously he covered technology at SFGATE, and has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Information and CNBC. He studied journalism and economics at Northwestern University.His work has earned an SF Press Club Investigative Reporting Award and, in 2025, SPJ NorCal’s Excellence in Journalism Award for Technology Reporting.Stephen lives in San Francisco. Contact him via email at [email protected], or on Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 415-757-8198. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

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Outages are not uncommon in Cuba, where the electricity infrastructure is increasingly aged. Much of the system dates to the Cold War period, between 1960 and 1980.

But the problem has intensified since January, when United States President Donald Trump effectively severed Cuba’s supply of foreign oil.

Already, Cuba has been under the longest-running trade embargo in modern history. Since the 1960s, the US has largely barred trade with the island, which sits roughly 140 kilometres — or 90 miles — from its shores.

Since taking office for a second term, though, Trump has sought to trigger regime change on the communist-led island. Critics have long accused the government in Havana of human rights abuses, including the violent suppression of dissent.

On January 3, Trump authorised a military operation against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a socialist leader and ally of the Cuban government. The operation culminated in Maduro’s abduction and transport to New York, where he remains imprisoned on drug- and weapons-related charges.

Shortly after Maduro’s removal, Trump announced that Venezuela would no longer send oil or money to Cuba. His administration has continued to control Venezuelan oil exports in the months since.

Then, on January 29, Trump issued an executive order declaring that Cuba “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat” to the US. As part of the order, he threatened any country that supplies the island with fuel with steep tariffs.

Since then, only a single Russian oil tanker has reached Cuban soil — but that was in March.

As of 2023, Cuba only produces 40 percent of the oil it uses, according to the International Energy Agency. The rest comes from overseas.

Human rights experts have warned that the continued fuel deprivation could have consequences for Cuba’s civilian population, as public services like transportation shut down.

In June, the high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations, Volker Turk, pointed to statistics that showed infant mortality nearly doubled in recent months.

“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable,” Turk said in a statement.

“Children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable.”

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has blamed mismanagement in the Cuban government for the blackouts.

“We’ve done nothing punitive against the Cuban regime,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Al Jazeera in March.

Prior to the fuel blockade, Cuba had planned to shift some of its energy infrastructure away from fossil fuels, in favour of solar and other renewable energy sources.

It has sped up that transition, with the help of solar technology imported from the US’s main economic rival, China.

Still, renewable energy only accounts for about 18 percent of Cuba’s overall energy consumption, according to estimates from 2022. Cuba aims to produce nearly a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. %!s()