Ron Oliver was the director of the many episodes of the Animorphs TV series, and the writer of several episodes including the three-part Changes trilogy.
Scholastic web site interview[]
If you could morph any animal what would it be?
A hawk, like Tobias, so that I would be able to fly. Or, I might want to be a bald eagle because A, I’ve already got the bald thing going on and B, I would be protected by the government!
Do you believe in aliens?
It’s probably silly to think that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe, but do I think that they drop out of the sky and abduct people? I don’t know. I’ve always wondered, if there are aliens visiting us, why don’t they go on CNN and announce themselves? They’re probably just like we are — trying to communicate — and they’ll keep trying as hard as we are until eventually we make contact.
In one of the "Changes" episodes, the Animorphs go to their prom. Did you go to prom?
Well, it’s funny, the very first script I ever sold was a sequel to the movie Prom Night. I went to a really small school so our prom wasn’t terribly impressive. I went and it was a bitRON OLIVER of a let down. I always wanted the prom to be a big event with jackets and ties and limos but our school was too small. So, I tried to make the Animorphs' prom exciting.
You are both a writer and a director - which do you like better?
Both really appeal to two different sides of me. The writing thing is really insular - you’re in your own little world sitting at your computer and that’s very one half of my brain. Whereas with the directing thing you have to be bigger than life, moving the troops around from place to place, and that appeals to the other side of me.
Katherine Applegate’s writing inspires many fans of Animorphs. I’m sure some of the would-be directors and screenwriters out there are inspired by your skills. Are there any writers or directors that have been inspirational to you?
Oh very many, yes. One of the biggest inspirations for me ever when I was younger was a director named John Carpenter, who did Halloween. And Sam Rami, who I just love. And Hitchcock wrote the book on directing. He was one of the reasons I wanted to become a director. And writers — Steven King. I was a big fan of his. I read a lot of books when I was young. I loved Ray Bradbury and people who had sort of a fantasy element in their work.