Circle of Life

"Circle of Life" is the opening song of Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King, composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song was performed by Carmen Twillie (female vocals) and Lebo M (opening Zulu vocals) as the film's opening song. Elton John also sang a pop version of the song with the London Community Gospel Choir, which was included in the film's soundtrack and made into a music video. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1994 along with two other songs from The Lion King, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "Hakuna Matata", though "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" won the award. The song reached #11 in the UK, and #18 in the US.

The song is also featured frequently in attractions that include The Lion King at Disney theme parks, such as parades.

Michael Crawford sang this song as part of a medley for The Disney Album in 2001.

Plot
The song takes place at the very beginning of the film, the dawn of Simba's presentation. As the song progresses, various animal herds travel through the Pride Lands to gather at Pride Rock. There, Rafiki meets up with the current King of the Pride Lands, Mufasa and his mate, Sarabi. After blessing Mufasa's newborn cub Simba, Rafiki lifts the cub up high for all the animals to see, and the animals bow before their future king.

The song reprises at the end of the film, after Simba has taken the throne, the death of Scar and avenging Mufasa. Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub, recalling the opening. In The Lion King 1½, the song is used again.

In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Simba breaks the Circle of Life when he exiles Kovu believing he was involved in the ambush set by Zira, forbidding Kiara from getting near him which was Mufasa's paw prints that he himself must follow. After Kiara and Kovu manage to unite the prides, the Circle of Life is restored to its former glory and peace was brought back to Pride Rock once again.

The Lion King 1½
In DisneyToon's 2004 direct-to-video film The Lion King 1½, Timon and Pumbaa are watching this musical number in a dark theater when Timon suddenly uses a remote control to fast forward to where they appear in the film. Pumbaa argues that the film shouldn't go out of order and attempts to rewind the film back to the beginning. Timon and Pumbaa start fighting over control of the film until they agree that the film should tell their side of the story. Throughout the rest of the film, it is occasionally interrupted to have Timon and Pumbaa comment on whatever is happening.

Act I
In the film's musical adaption, the opening sequence is altered noticeably in certain ways; for example, the song is sung by the Rafiki character accompanied by a chorus of multiple background singers garbed in unusual, distinctive costumes or manipulating numerous different puppets resembling Serengeti fauna rather than being performed by an unseen voiceover, as in the original film. The sun rising on the Pride Lands, Rafiki commences the start of the production by kicking off the song and summoning the various animals of the surrounding area for baby Simba's presentation. As the first two verses of the musical number end, a representation of Pride Rock appears onstage carrying its two reigning rulers, Queen Sarabi cradling the small puppet representing her newborn cub in her arms. As the choir chants excitedly in the background, Rafiki accompanies them atop Pride Rock to bless the baby prince before raising him high in the air, singing joyfully alongside the bowing chorus.

Act II
At the end of Act II, Simba's friends and family acknowledge him as the rightful king after Simba and the Pridelanders defeated Scar and the hyenas. Rafiki crowns Simba with the mantle of kingship after his victory and Simba ascends Pride Rock. He then gives a mighty roar across the whole kingdom and the animals come back to the Pride Lands to recognize Simba as the rightful king.

The assembly of animals that appear are slightly different from the beginning of Act 1, with no wildebeests, no adult elephant (only the baby elephant) and two zebras instead of three. Only half of the bird ladies from the beginning appear along with three cranes and the birds as kites on poles. The lionesses appear to celebrate the continuing circle of life before the animals as they present a newborn cub, the future lion king. The circle of life begins again with Simba and Nala having a newborn lion cub of their own. The musical ends as Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub to all of the animals. A blackout finishes Act II and leads to the curtain call at the end of the second act.

Lyrics
Movie version= Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama Ingonyama Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhhmm ingonyama Ingonyama Siyo nqoba Ingonyama Ingonyama nengw' enamabala

Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana)

Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (repeats throughout verse) From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done

There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love

Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life

Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala

It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love

Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life Nants ingonyama, bagathithi baba! stiti umm, ingonyama; ingonyama negwengabo!
 * -|Broadway version=

Antelope: Mai ba bo, Haa, ingonnyama baba!

Nant's ingonyama, bagathithi baba, hyaa!

stiti umm, ingonyama; ingonyama negwengabo!

Antelope: Hao, kusani bo, bheki agalela (chou!!)

Nants inonyama, bagathithi baba, hyya!

siti umm, ingonyama

Helele

ingonyama

Ohh! sizonqobababa, helele

ingonyama

Hayyo! sizonqobababa

Ingonyama negwenamabala

(ingonyama)

(enamabala baba)

(whoa, ingonyama baba, enamabala)

(ingonyama negwenamabala continues)

From the day we arrive on this planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There's more to see, than can ever be seen, more to do, than can ever be done

Hmm, there's far too much, to take in here

More to find, than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high

Through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small, on the endless round

It's the circle of life!

(kalaliko bheki akale!)

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the circle

The circle of life

(ingonyama negwenamabala)

(improvisation by antelope)

It's the circle of life!

(kalaliko bheki akale!)

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place!

On the path unwinding

In the circle!

The circle of life

(loud drumbeat) Umm hmm Oh ho Oh ho Oh ho Oh ho
 * -|Elton John's version=

From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking step into the sun There's more to be seen than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done Some say, eat or be eaten Some say, live and let live But, all are agreed as they join the stampede You should never take more than you give

In the circle of life It's the wheel of fortune It's the leap by faith It's the band of hope Till, we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle The circle of life

Some of us fall by the wayside And some of us soar to the stars And some of us sail through our troubles And some have to live with the scars There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rollin' high Through the sapphire sky Keeps the great and small on the endless round

In the circle of life It's the wheel of fortune It's the leap by faith It's the band of hope Till, we find our place On the path unwinding, yea In the circle The circle of life (Chorus repeats)

On the path unwinding, yea In the circle The circle of life

Note: Lyrics beginning with capital letters are Rafiki's lines, while others are the chorus and the antelope lines. The song was re-recorded in 2003 by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, a group of actors and actresses who have appeared in Disney Channel television series and original movies. The line-up was significantly different when their next re-recording, "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," was released two years later.

Popular Culture
Due to the film's impact on popular culture, the song is often referenced in other media.

In one of Disney's many self references, it also appeared as a false beginning of Chicken Little when Buck was trying to open the movie.

Ronan Keating recorded a cover for "Disneymania".

At the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Barack Obama jokingly claimed he was going to show his long-form birth video, spoofing an earlier controversy about refusing to show his long-form birth certificate to prove he was, in fact, born in the United States. The opening chant was played from the film, and Simba was seen being lifted to the skies. The song was used to poke fun at Obama's Kenyan heritage.

Trivia

 * The song has become the theme of Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World in Florida. In Epcot, the song is featured in the attraction Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable starring characters from the film.
 * The Season 3 Phineas and Ferb song "On the Savannah" in first part of the two-part episode "Where's Perry?" has a similar setting and is also done with African singers.
 * The choral element in between the "it's the circle of life" and "and it moves us all" is an approximate "kalaliko bheki akale".
 * This song is often compared to "Vuelie" from the film Frozen, in the sense that they are both sung at the beginning of their films and are also sung by a native chorus (Sami and Zulu).
 * There is a rare work-in-progress version that appeared in both the teaser trailer included in The Fox and the Hound VHS and the original theatrical trailer that people would not find anywhere else.
 * The instrumental version of the song, with the Zulu vocals still included, is heard when the player uses The King's Domain sky in the Disney INFINITY games.