I would definitely recommend blender to start with. It's relatively easy to use, there are plenty of good tutorials available, and, best of all, it's free! It's a great program to use to get acquainted with 3D modeling and animation to see if it's right for you before investing a lot of money.
Best wishes with your endeavors! I have a little bit of experience with blender, myself. 3D modeling is a steep learning curve.