According to "The Making of The Lion King," the original opening scene featured a dialog mentioning most of the main characters, but the directors scratched it when they all heard the final version of "Circle of Life." The result of this decision was so powerful that the opening scene was used as the trailer for The Lion King, making the first time Disney had ever made the trailer a complete scene.

The song Circle of Life is so beautiful to me, it makes me wanna cry... *sniff sniff*