Distributors test enhanced SmarTrailer technology to promo films.

You've heard of enhanced TV, now there's the enhanced movie trailer -- the latest tool in the box for entertainment companies to market online.

For the promotion of Touchstone Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest release, "National Treasure," Yahoo! Movies  this week is debuting SmarTrailer™, which provides the option of viewing the film’s theatrical trailer in its entirety or viewing the trailer and exploring particular areas of interest by clicking on picture windows that appear as the trailer plays.

The SmarTrailer™ for "National Treasure" played exclusively on Yahoo before beginning its continuous run at http://www.nationaltreasure.com/ starting today. "National Treasure," directed by Jon Turteltaub ("While You Were Sleeping," "Phenomenon"), and starring Nicolas Cage, opens nationwide on November 24.

"We are always trying to break new ground to expand our marketing reach" says Oren Aviv, president of marketing for Buena Vista Pictures Marketing. "With the Internet at the forefront of new technology, we wanted to take the online experience up a level and provide people with a more interesting, enjoyable and interactive experience. The SmartTrailer™ allows us to do that," "It’s a fun and engaging way to learn more about our movies, and it tailors the content to a person’s particular interests."

For "National Treasure," nine unique windows lead viewers to one-minute information "pods" that delve into specific topics related to the film, the historical facts behind the story and the filmmaking process. Browsers can explore a variety of topics. For example, "The Treasure is Real" section offers expert testimony from professional treasure hunters W.J. Jameson and author Mark Finnan about the untold riches our Founding Fathers may have buried right beneath our feet. The "Knights of Templar" section talks about the great wealth amassed by the secretive medieval band of knights and where it might have gone after they fled Europe. Other pods cover such topics as "Benjamin Franklin," "The Money Pit," "The Freemasons," "The Clues Around Us," "The Declaration of Independence," "Secrets and Spies" and "Real Locations."

Back in March, Touchstone Pictures also used the SmarTrailer on the official "Alamo" Web site  to promo that film. The interactive trailer included an Alamo weapons page that enabled the exploration of the type of weaponry in the film, in-depth information about the characters and a map of the attack of the Alamo.

SmarTrailer on Yahoo! Movies