Ahead of its Friday debut in North America, the 20th Century Fox release got an early start in 72 countries, opening at No. 1 in nearly all of them.

Top markets included Russia ($10.4 million) and, naturally, Brazil ($8.3 million), where it ranked as the biggest opening ever for an animated cartoon.

The cartoon revolves around Blu, a rare blue macaw (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg of "The Social Network"), who returns to his native Brazil after a coddled existence as a smuggled pet in America.

It was directed by Carlos Saldanha, the Rio de Janeiro-born director of the "Ice Age" trilogy. Both those films and "Rio" were produced by Blue Sky Studios, and distributed by News Corp-owned Fox.

Animation also ruled in the United States and Canada, where the Easter-themed romp "Hop" was No. 1 for a second weekend, overcoming a challenge from a middling band of newcomers.

The live-action/computer-animated hybrid earned $21.7 million during the three days beginning Friday, taking its 10-day total to $68.2 million. Brash English comedian Russell Brand voices the teenage son of the Easter Bunny who dreams of becoming a rock'n'roll drummer in Hollywood.

The family picture was produced by Illumination Entertainment, the animation firm behind last year's hit "Despicable Me," and distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp's NBC Universal.

Brand also claimed the No. 2 spot in North America with the costly new remake of "Arthur," which opened with a disappointing $12.6 million.