What I think it's funny, is that there are also indirect references of this "circle of life" for example when Mufasa is killed, the tree branche that's lays upon his body has the form of a broken circle: the circle of life has been broken (check out this pic)

While Simba grows up in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa, and you see him maturing during "Hakuna Matata", there's the circle again: this time it's the moon, in the background, stating another big event in the life of Simba.

These are just two examples, but I love the way this is so subtilely done, and I'm curious if there are more of these references in SP?