The famous 'Circle of Life' Lion King scene where Simba is lifted above the African planes has been re-enacted in real life by a monkey. Life imitated art when the mother was seen lifting up her baby aloft to recreate the iconic cinematic spectacle. Photographer Dafna Ben Nun captured the moment the baboon and her infant recreated the much-imitated scene.
The 38-year-old captured the incredible real-life 'Lion King' moment whilst on a trip to Zimbabwe. During her trip to the Southern African country to learn about the local wildlife, Dafna was instantly surprised to see the two monkeys recreating such a well-known moment. The animals, that are native to South Africa, are often found in open ssavannahs and open hills around Africa. Dafna, from Israel, said: 'I couldn't believe it when I saw an adult baboon holding a baby, looking exactly like Simba in the Lion King.' It was just a split second, but it was fascinating to watch.' They were all in the same group so no harm was done to any of the animals.'
The scene was made famous in the 1994 film with the soundtrack featuring Elton John. In the movie baboon Rafiki, similar to the one more recent recreation, lifts the newborn Simba on the edge of a cliff as the chorus to 'Circle of Life' plays. Songs from the film were written by Elton John and Tim Rice and the score was composed by Hans Zimmer.