[2] Elizalde taught himself to sculpt and create prosthetic makeup effects by following the work of Dick Smith, Stan Winston, and Rick Baker.

In 1994, he and his wife Mary formed Spectral Motion, a design studio specializing in creature effects, prosthetic makeup, robotics, and animatronics.

He has worked on over 100 film and television projects in his career, including Men in Black, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Hellboy, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Bright, Birdman, The Carbonaro Effect, Legends of Tomorrow, and Stranger Things.

He is also a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences where he served on the Executive Committee for the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists branch for six years from 2009 until 2015.

He is also a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 706, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.