Blender is quite good, open source with lot of tutorials. I agree it is little difficult to learn, but once you get a hang of it, you will find the interface very useful. Maya is also like Blender, but a lot powerful. Sorry you can't learn advanced animation in two months, you need an year atleast ( that is the time it took me get efficient at Maya ). If you are good at programming (Python) you can extract a whole lot more out of Maya or Blender. Don't expect to create the next Rango though.
I guess you just want to start learning animation, start 3D modelling first. I suggest start with Google Sketchup first. I also highly recommend using Autodesk Mudbox, it is very simple to learn and you can get a lot of tutorials for it. It is not free though.
After you get comfortable, choose a tool, Maya or Houdini and stick to it and become a pro at it. Don't try to learn too many at once, it is no use. If you want to render soft body effects spectral work etc i.e 3d animation go with Maya or Houdini. If you want to do game development, then 3ds max is better. Forget other tools like Laboa, Z-brush, Mari right now. Also get a good powerful rig if don't like staring at screens while your render complete. Not an issue before while doing 3d modelling but will matter during lighting and rendering
