Born Winston Miguel Elizalde Torres in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. His parents were Miguel Angel Elizalde and Paula Torres. He immigrated to the United States when he was five years old and grew up in Alhambra, California. As a child, Elizalde was interested in movie monsters, drawing them using found materials and trying to recreate make-up designs on himself.
While attending high school in Alhambra he spent time at the magic store Owen Magic Supreme, where he learned to work with his hands while learning how to perform magic. Alan Zagorsky, the current owner of the store, was his first mentor.[2]
Elizalde worked at several Hollywood special effects studios, including Rick Baker's Cinovation Studios and Stan Winston Studio, learning to become an animatronics designer, puppeteer, and prosthetic makeup artist. In 1994, he and his wife Mary formed Spectral Motion, a design studio specializing in creature effects, prosthetic makeup, robotics, and animatronics.