[4] Her obsession with film editing started in France, when Littleton became acquainted with French New Wave cinema.
Other films were to follow and Littleton received an Academy Award nomination for editing Steven Spielberg's E.T.
In the late 1980s, Carol Littleton was elected to and served as the president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild.
Littleton has been elected as a member of the American Cinema Editors, and has served as ACE vice president since 2019.
She is also a current member of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Film Editors Branch).