Synopsis

A hand-drawn water-cycle diagram introduces Coldplay as flat, two-dimensional paper figures going about ordinary household chores. Their calm routine is interrupted as the world around them begins to fail: water rises, floods spread, volcanoes erupt, and violent electrical shocks crack through the scenery. The deliberately simple collage style contrasts the band's domestic movements with increasingly large natural disasters, turning the song's reassuring message into a whimsical miniature apocalypse.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was created for Coldplay's 2001 single release of "Don't Panic," which appeared in parts of Europe on March 19, 2001, and in Australia on April 30, 2001.

• Its animation is built around two-dimensional cutout figures and collage-like scenery rather than conventional performance footage.

• The opening water-cycle diagram establishes the video's central visual idea: everyday systems continue operating even as the wider world becomes unstable.

• The song originated during Coldplay's early period. An earlier version was titled "Panic" and was performed at the band's first gig in 1998 before being reworked for Parachutes.

• The official video was later restored in high definition and republished by Coldplay in July 2020.